


Birthday Blues & I Love Yous

by insanity_w0lf



Category: LazyTown
Genre: Abused Robbie, Anxious Robbie, Depressed Robbie Rotten, I literally wrote this and for what?, In which Sport and Rob used to be friends as kids, Loneliness, M/M, Rob couldn't really care less, Robbie is also a shithead, Robbie tries being a good boy for a day, Sad Sportacus, Set around "Sportacus Who", Sport just wants his friend back, Sportacus is also v sad and salty, Sportarobbie has me good, Supportive Kids, The children get salty, Ziggy appreciation, but when is he not, doesn't go as planned, everything has to be angst with me but it will have a good ending i promise, idk maybe some sexies later? Maybe I'll post that separate idfk, im trash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-11
Updated: 2017-03-21
Packaged: 2018-09-23 11:02:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9653150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insanity_w0lf/pseuds/insanity_w0lf
Summary: Robbie knew there was a reason there was an 'end' in 'Friendship', but he never dreamed the only person he depended on, Sportacus, would soon leave him for a group of jocks and bullies. When this happens, issues begin to spring up. Robbie (the loner) feels like he can't trust Sportacus (the suddenly most popular kid in school) anymore and therefore, their friendship ends. Many years later, shortly after the defeat of Number 9, Robbie discovers he has to face his ex-friend again when he arrives in LazyTown with the desire to get everyone active. Robbie fights with himself between hating and missing his old friend while Sportacus just wants to get his old friend back. Filled with turmoil and angst, this is a tale of repairing friendships and healing scars left from the past, but can Sportacus ever get Robbie to fully trust him again?





	1. Robbie's Emotions and Sportacus's Plan In Motion

Robbie's POV:

"You're so short, Robbie." A giggly blonde boy the age of 12 teased with a nudge of his elbow into his friend's side.

"Don't mock me, Sportaflop." Robbie pouted, though he couldn't deny he was used to this playful banter from his elven friend. He nudged him back in response to the jab in his side.

"Aw, c'mon, don't get upset. I'm only teasing you." Sportacus pinched his cheek gently and laughed.

Robbie met his friend's sapphire eyes that always seemed full of life. He was almost envious of how much happiness Sport had. He slowly smiled, "I know." He fiddled with his sweaty palms for a moment before letting out a sigh, "You're my best friend."

It was true, but it was also because he never had anyone else other than Sportacus as his friend. He was so alone whenever they weren't together. He almost felt dependent on the blonde elf for his happiness.

"I'm touched." Sporty grinned and wrapped his arms around Robbie. "You're my best friend too."

"And we're going to be best friends forever, right?" Robbie asked, almost as if he were afraid Sportacus would leave him to be his lonely self. That thought was what scared him the most.

"Forever and ever." A confident, cheerful smile swept across Sportacus's face as he responded. Two arms soon wrapped around him in a tight embrace.

At first, Robbie wanted to push him away. He felt weak for saying such a nice thing to someone. After all, he was one of those people whom would rather be on their own. He had to be this way otherwise he'd just dwell on how Sportacus was the only one that understood him. Sure, they had their differences, but it never got between them. 

That is until...

Sportacus soon turned out to be one of the 'cool kids'. He was also in love with sports so much to the point he was too busy to come hang around with Robbie anymore. He always invited him to his games, but Robbie never had any real interest in sports at all (and time would soon reveal why). He became even more like an outcast than he was before seeing as he felt like he was losing the one person who meant the world to him. Sportacus was his everything, in a completely platonic way. However, Robbie could soon realize he wasn't his friend's number one friend anymore. Sportacus had such an affable, outgoing personality that it attracted everyone. The more people Sportacus hung around with, the more jealous Robbie grew. Sportacus was /his/ friend first. Not only that, but it was well known to all the kids in town that they were the dynamic duo, though Robbie wasn't very dynamic at all. When he first began to notice a change in his best friend, he didn't think much of it. He was sure that he was just overthinking things.

But Robbie had never been more wrong.

Sportacus turned into somewhat of a cocky jerk, almost like those over-confident jocks. He'd do anything to impress anyone. When him and Robbie spent time together, they were always being interrupted by the young superhero's fan base. He had grown rather popular with being one of the greatest athletes around, so it was to be expected. As happy as he was for his friend, he still dreaded returning home and wondering when they'd even spend time again.

Not only had his friend turned into an egotistical jerk, but he soon became somewhat of a bully too. His remarks to Robbie that were usually to be taken with a grain of salt became offensive to Robbie all of a sudden. Perhaps he hadn't of meant it to come out that way, but Robbie couldn't help but feel a bit teary-eyed whenever he was made fun of, even by the always happy blue elf. Sportacus was now running with a new crowd of kids, the same kids whom made fun of guys like him. Robbie feared they had corrupted Sporty into being more like them and that he didn't need to hang around the weird loner kid anymore. That was yet another fear he had. This time was rather stressful for him. Sportacus only grew more and more busy with whatever sports he took up, which left no time for him to come visit. Robbie grew distant. He didn't even bother to come outside for a few days. He stayed shut up in his house. Sportacus was his only reason for doing anything before anyways, so without him he felt rather... unmotivated. 

Robbie was at his breaking point. He couldn't believe Sportanoodle would leave him like that. It was like he never meant anything to him. That's what made him so furious. Robbie was the more studious one between them. He usually spent time helping the blue baffoon with his math homework seeing as he had so much trouble with numbers. Robbie never asked for anything in return, but Sport always gave him something in gratitude. Suddenly, Sportacus was getting help from different kids like him: the sporty type. Robbie grew jealous at this. He never once let his friend down only to get replayed by getting left in the dark. There was a point where he couldn't have cared less if he never spoke to him again.

However, he soon received a phone call from the athlete.

"Uh, hey, Robbie?" Came Sportacus's hushed tone.

"Hey." Robbie answered him, trying to sound enthusiastic.

"Oh, I was wondering if you'd like to come to my big tennis game tomorrow." Sportacus voice was, as usual, hyper and boastful. "It's my final match." He explained as if he wanted to express how important it was. "I'd love for you to come and cheer for me when I win."

Robbie scowled with disgust. He bit his tongue to prevent anything from escaping his lips. 

A moment of silence passed.

"N-Nevermind." Sportacus chuckled, "You're probably too busy doing nothi-" He could hear Sportacus get choked up, "W-Wait, I mean..."

"Nothing?" Robbie spat into the phone, "Is that what you were going to say?"

"I was just wanting someone to give me company and we never do anything together anymore, so I just figured you'd want to come see me at my greatest." He spoke highly of himself yet again, only adding insult to Robbie further. Did he not care that he was offended and hurt?

"Get one of your stupid admirers to go, then." Robbie huffed, "Because they all think you're so great." He tightened his grip on the phone, feeling his blood starting to boil, "Why do you think we never do anything together? You're too busy doing everything with them!"

Sportacus was silent now. But it wasn't too long before he let out another one of his fake chuckles, "At least I'm trying to do something with you. We're friends, Robbie."

"Not anymore." Robbie didn't miss a beat. "You meant the world to me so when you left me behind, I knew I couldn't trust a stuck up jerk like yourself." Every word Robbie said seemed to come out so easily, "You were always my best friend... But I never got that returned, didn't I?" Even if he tried, he did not allow Sportacrook a single word to interrupt him, "I may have for a while until you realized I wasn't cool enough to hang out with anymore." He took a deep breath, "I've decided that since I can't trust you with my friendship, I don't want anything to do with you, got it?"

"Robbie, I-"

He wished he could see the pained expression as he uttered his parting words, "Goodbye, Sportajerk." He hissed and dropped the call between them.

And just like that, a friendship that seemed imperturbable was ended.

Fast forward many, many years. Following the defeat of Number Nine by Robbie Rotten, LazyTown once again returned to what it was named for: being lazy. 

Robbie had suffered a lot of pain from Number Nine. Whether that be the countless headaches or bumps and bruises left by him. Nine was quite brainless for a hero, but he wasn't afraid to make up with his brawn. He would threaten Robbie time after time, but the children never realized what was happening. Robbie was too busy fearing for his own life to tell anyone about it, not to mention Nine said he'd snap his neck if he tried to get help. 

Just the thought of that reckless brute made every hair on Robbie's neck stand up. The only way he saved himself was breaking into the villainous hero's ship. He stole the crystal from his chest and proceeded to smash it, then replaced it with a fake crystal. After a former resident in LazyTown had a fatal accident while Nine was goofing around with the kids, the Mayor sent him away. Robbie was finally safe yet again. He despised that cartwheeling buffoon that reminded him so much of...

Sportacus.

Robbie felt as if he may vomit at the thought of that wretched name. He flopped down into his orange chair and drank some chocolate milk to forget about it. 

LazyTown remained as inactive as could be. None of the children came outside to play. Everything was quiet and peaceful, just as Robbie liked it to be. He remained down in his lair, coming up with new ideas should another one of those hyperactive morons show themselves. In this time he created his vast array of disguises and gadgets. Though he loved the silence above him, he couldn't deny that he was running out of ideas. The longer he was left at peace, the more of his creative juices were used up. He fell into a stage where he couldn't create anything new. He felt sad yet again. He really was the loneliest and laziest person in LazyTown. He began to wonder if those went hand in hand with each other, but that thought was interrupted by the sound of footsteps.

Stephanie had arrived in town, and to make matters worse, was determined to liven up the place.

Robbie watched with horror as the letter went rocketing into the sky. He hoped and prayed that there would be no more athletic oafs. He hoped that Nine was the last of them. Maybe they wouldn't exceed into the double digits?

The moment he spotted a blimp coming into view, he knew he had his work cut out for him.

But what he didn't expect was the heroic man doing flips throughout LazyTown would be a familiar face.

He almost flinched when he heard him tell the kids his name.

Sportacus.

The utterance of that name was enough to trigger back Robbie's youth. He rolled his hands up into fists. How dare he drop in to ruin the one good thing Robbie was good at! He narrowed his eyes as he kept tabs on him. He wondered how he'd ever face him again...

Well, he did face him.

He faced him many times, but it was almost as if they were complete strangers. They didn't speak much, and when they did it was mostly Robbie insulting him. He still acted exactly like the Sportajerk he used to know. He was overly confident and seemed to be unable to stop moving. He would do parkour to no extent. It irritated Robbie... Not only was he annoying, but he was a lot more smart than the last one was. Robbie wished they could've sent a different guy out here. He had no idea his ex-friend would become the next superhero he'd have to face.

Robbie's traps and disguises never worked. They always had the same result with the whole town going "Robbie Rotten!" in a surprised and disgusted tone. All he wanted was to prove to those children that no one, not even Sportacus, was perfect. He wanted to be able to beat the man who ruined his life once and for all. While he wished on a daily basis that he would go back into his airship and just leave permanently, that wasn't completely true. 

In his time of being alone in his lair, he realized how much he missed his best friend. 

Especially on a day as important to him as his birthday.

Sportacus always went out of his way on this day, no matter his schedule. Well, until he became a major ass of himself. They'd always meet up at the park and Sportacus, even though he hated how much his friend loved sugary sweets, would bake him a cake. He would of course rather eat fruits and vegetables religiously, so he'd pack himself his own healthy lunch. They'd sit and chat for hours it seemed until Sportacus had to return home to get some shut-eye.

Suddenly, Robbie felt sick to his stomach. How could he let himself think about such a sentimental, weak point in his life? After all, he felt much more powerful without Sportacrack to slow him down. After all, to Robbie, friendship was a sign of weakness. He felt he was better off alone in the company of himself alone.

"I hate him." Robbie growled to himself as he flopped down in his chair. He grabbed his periscope, dragging it to his face. He looked around with it until he found Sportacus sitting on the bench.

Wait.

Sportaloon? Sitting?

Robbie's eyes lit up, "Hah, something must be troubling him." He returned to observing him. It was only yesterday when he erased Sportacrook's memories for a little while. As usual, failure struck him yet again. Sportacus should be happy. He beat Robbie yet again.

Right?

Robbie let out a huff. He shoved the scope away from him, "Whatever's got him upset, thank you." He said cheerfully and did a happy dance in his chair. He kicked back and relaxed, closing his eyes and humming a tune reminiscent of 'Master Of Disguise'.

Sportacus's POV:

"Even though I got my memories back, I could still be your friend." Sportacus had suggested yesterday after yet another failed plan of Robbie's.

Just thinking about the glory days which weren't so glorious, Sportacus realized his mistakes. Yes, even he made mistakes. Especially in his younger days. When he came to LazyTown, he didn't expect his past to come back and haunt him in the form of a villainous ex-friend. He hadn't really thought much about his childhood since he became famous. His talents did not go unnoticed and soon he was being trained to motivate others. That's what wound him here in the first place. Robbie was the one person he failed to motivate. No matter what he did. 

He was right. Even an explicit offer to try to return to being friendly with Robbie was immediately shut down. Even if he explained he was sorry and apologized thoroughly, Robbie would still hate him. He realized maybe there was nothing he could do to try and repair the burnt bridge between them. He noticed a pair of eyes spying on him and frowned directly at them. He stood up and moved from his location. He walked past the LazyTown rock, remembering Robbie goofing around as a pirate with his balloon swords and the kids. He chuckled, "Maybe he's only motivated when it comes to defeating me." He told himself.

Sportacus had no clue what to think of the villain. Every time he did something he enjoyed it was out of his villainous ways rather than his heart. He wasn't even sure if Robbie had a heart anymore. As a kid he did. Always crying over bullies picking on him while also falling into Sportacus's arms. This was what inspired him to start saving people.

The feeling of courageousness, the rush of excitement, the happy expressions of gratitude... He wondered if Robbie realized he was the reason why Sportacus was who he was today.

He let out a sigh at the memories that hit him like a ton of bricks. On a day like this, he couldn't help but have his mind set on Robbie Rotten. It was his birthday after all. He glanced towards the pair of eyes still continuing to pursue him. He let out a breath, "I guess it would be worth a shot." He stood up and did flips all the way to Stephanie's house.

Once at the door, he rang the doorbell. Of course, Mayor Goodwell answered.

"Oh, hello Sportacus! Is there something you need?" The mayor asked in his usual nervous and unsure tone.

"Is Stephanie awake? I need her help." Sportacus asked.

"Oh, why, yes! Come on in!" The mayor chuckled and opened the door.

Stephanie was seemingly surprised when Sportacus walked into her room and asked for ingredients to make a cake. She seemed even more surprised when he said it was going to Robbie Rotten.

"But why?" She asked as she stood up from the edge of her bed.

"It's his birthday." Sportacus explained. He saw the girl's face light up, "He never wanted it to be a big deal... I'll explain later on when everyone is here." He quickly added. "When I go to meet him, I want you to gather all the kids up. I have a story to share." Sportacus told her, "I'll be surprised if I can even get him out of his lair, but I will try my best."

Stephanie nodded and grinned, "I'm sure he'll come out of hiding. There's no way he can refuse cake." She skipped towards the door, "Speaking of which, we best get baking!"

"Lead the way." The blue elf laughed, did his jerky arm movements, and followed after her.


	2. A Surprise Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robbie gets a surprise visitor and Sportacus tells the kids a piece of information that surprises them.

Robbie's POV:

Robbie flinched as Sportacus looked directly into his scope, but settled down as the blue buffoon parkour'd his way out of sight, "Hmph. I liked it better when he was distraught." 

He stretched and grabbed the piece of cake he had cut himself for breakfast, "Happy Birthday to me." He grumbled and dug into it. Not even something as sweet as creamy frosting could've cured his rather sour mood. He sighed and set it aside after a few more bites. He let himself relax back into the chair, "Another birthday of sleeping all day sounds pretty good to me." He told himself and let out a content breath. He allowed his eyes to close after they grew rather heavy and soon dozed off.

Robbie always made sure on his birthday he would be happy, and the only way to do that would be to sleep whatever bothered him off. He couldn't care less what the kids got up to today, as long as they didn't disturb him.

He had been asleep for about two hours when he woke up next. However, it wasn't because it was so noisy above. It was quite the opposite. Robbie decided something had to be wrong. He grabbed his binoculars and peered into them yet again. He looked all around LazyTown, but there was no sign of anybody. He smiled to himself, "Why can't it be like this every day?" He let out a brief laugh and shoved the binoculars away, "Maybe this could be my best birthday ever!" He did a sluggish happy dance.

That's when he realized he may have spoke too soon when he heard a rapping on the hatch to his lair.

"Robbie? Are you awake?" Came Sportacus's muffled voice as he knocked on the door.

"No, go away." Robbie hissed, realizing it was just the elf.

Sportacus sighed in response, "Robbie..."

He could hear metal creaking coming from the slide. Robbie went to yell at him to leave him alone, but soon came Sportacus rocketing out of the chute. He did a front flip and landed right in front of Robbie, whom flinched and cowered down in response.

"Hey, no need to get like that." Sportacus said and smiled slightly, "I thought you'd learn by now that I'm not going to hurt you." He put a hand out to help him back up.

Robbie always got like this whenever he felt threatened. Rather than facing it head-on, he would turn into a scaredy cat and would rather flee than fight.

Robbie recalled the time he told Sportacus why he was so jumpy.

"These jocks picked on me..." A younger Robbie had confessed as he sat at lunch with his friend.

"Really?" Sportacus asked, his eye twitching slightly, "What did they do?" He asked with genuine concern.

Robbie looked down. He pulled up his sleeve and revealed several black and yellow bruises on his arms, "That." He mumbled. "They made fun of me for getting picked last for dodgeball teams and that I'm the reason my team lost..." He quickly put his sleeves back down. He didn't want anyone else to know but Sportacus. He was surprised he was even telling him this. It was something that happened constantly, after all.

Sportacus's eyes widened in horror and disgust, "Robbie... I'm so sorry. We have to tell the teacher." He stood up and extended a hand out to him, "Thank you for telling me."

It took a bit of coaxing to get Robbie to come along, but he was glad he did. The bullies got in trouble, but Robbie was still distrustful about anyone with that sporty mindset. In fact, that's what made the whole idea of sports shut down completely. After that, he turned just as inactive as the man he had become today.

That wasn't the only instance that made Robbie so skittish around others. His crippling anxiety had another source that came in the form of Number 9. Unlike Sportacus, Nine was ridiculously careless. He only wanted to help the Mayor and get on his good side. It almost seemed like he wanted to run the town. He made various threats to Robbie, all went unnoticed by the residents of LazyTown. Many just believed that Robbie was just a big chicken. 

At least until he got the better of him by preforming his most villainous act. Number Nine was sent packing along with the fear of being beaten up. Robbie began to heal, but he was so easily frightened. He couldn't help it. The physical wounds may have vanished but the mental wounds left scars.

He may have been aware that Sportacus would never harm him, but who wouldn't panic when a blue blur was coming your way at ridiculous speeds?

With a narrow of his eyes, Robbie snapped at the blue elf, "Well, you've already hurt me once." Robbie grumbled, balling his hands up, "So how can I trust you?" He asked, standing up straight and crossing his arms.

Sportacus laughed in response, "Robbie, we were kids back then-"

"Once a jerk, always a jerk." Robbie sneered and turned away from him, "Whatever you're trying to sell me, I'm not buying it." He huffed and walked over to his orange fur-covered recliner. "You're just like those bullies."

Sportacus opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it. He shook his head, "You really don't let anyone help you or try to cheer you up..." He, too, crossed his arms with a disapproving look, "You've shut yourself off again from the rest of the world."

"I can't trust the rest of the world when I can't even trust my best friend." Robbie scowled and turned his back, "Now get out."

"Fine." Sportaflop said and headed for the hatch, "If that's the way you wanna be then. At least I tried.." His mood turned bitter pretty quickly. "But if you change your mind, you know where to find me." He added and headed back up the way he came from.

Robbie stuck his tongue out as he glanced over his shoulder. However, the second Sportaloon left his sights... his face fell. Was this some sort of joke? Did he really think he could toy with him like this, on his birthday no less? He let out a heavy breath and made his way over to his chair. He flopped down in it and looked at the slice of cake, "Why can't you lift my spirits today?" He asked the food item as if it could respond. He huffed and rubbed his forehead. You'll know where to find me? What was that supposed to mean? He grabbed his periscope and peered into it. No kids outside still. Sportacus had vanished as well. 

Robbie settled back into his recliner, "Something is way off around here." He said out loud, rubbing his forehead.

Sportacus's POV:

After failing at getting his 'rival' outside, Sportacus had made a swift run to Stephanie's where all the kids had gathered. He walked in, doing his best to look confident, "Hey kids!"

Stephanie looked up, "Sportacus, how did it go?" She asked excitedly. 

It was typical of the kids to assume just because he was a slightly above average hero that he could do anything. However, coaxing Robbie outside was harder than getting Sportacus to stop moving. He just shook his head in response, "No luck."

All the kids groaned and sighed together.

"Why won't he come celebrate with us?" Ziggy asked, taking his lollipop out of his mouth for a moment.

"Because that's just how he is." Stephanie said and shook her head. "He never does anything fun."

"It's much more than that." Sportacus jumped in, "I made a mistake and I suppose it was foolish to think offering a birthday party would be enough to fix it." He rubbed the back of his neck. He felt put on the spot by all their inquisitive looks, but figured it was best to tell them. He mustered up a deep breath before letting the heavy weight off his chest, "We used to be best friends."

Everyone's eyes seemed to quadruple in size. Some jaws dropped.

"Huh!?" Stingy exclaimed, "But he's-"

"-my enemy?" Sportacus laughed awkwardly, "Well, it wasn't always that way."

"Really?" Stephanie asked, looking as if she had just heard some great news.

"Really." The blue elf nodded, "I made a mistake when we were kids. I realize now how arrogant I had gotten and, well, my selfish attitude was the whole reason we stopped being friends."

Ziggy blinked, "What did you do that was so awful?" He suddenly blurred out, "You're Sportacus! It couldn't have been that bad."

"But it was." Sportacus sighed, sniggering slightly at his salutary remark, "I left him behind. He never really liked sports and when I discovered that's what I was good at, well, I made friends with his enemies on accident." He fiddled with his hands in an anxious manner, "And that was the end of it."

The room fell silent.

"But... but..." Ziggy whimpered, obviously upset over what Sportacus had just confessed to. "But friends forgive each other, right?"

"Not all the time, I'm afraid." He shook his head a little, "I should've known he'd just shut me down again."

"You can't give up Sportacus!" Stephanie said, "There has to be something you can do."

"He'll come around when and if he feels like it." Sportacus told the kids. He hoped they didn't get any crazy ideas that would make things worse.

After telling them to keep the cake safe in case Robbie would come out, Sportacus decided to return to his airship. As he climbed the ladder, he couldn't help but gaze in the direction of the entrance to Robbie's lair. He sighed before continuing to ascend the rope ladder. Once he was safely inside, he decided to take it easy. He sat down in his pilot's seat and took his ship for a brief drive high in the sky. Anything to get the poisonous thought of Robbie Rotten off his mind.

Robbie's POV:

Sitting alone in a cold, dark room all by yourself for too long can really mess with your mind. Though Robbie would rather laze about and do absolutely nothing... He found himself only dwelling on the past yet again. He thought of the birthday before things went south between him and Sportacus.

"Thanks, Sportacus." Robbie said with a big grin as his friend held out a funfetti cake with the number 14 on it. He took the dessert from him and sat it down on the bench beside him, "You're the best."

Sportacus beamed in return, "That's not all I got you." He also handed him a gift bag, "Here."

Robbie eagerly tore into the present, tossing out glittery paper until he could see what it was. When he picked it up, he was disappointed at first because it didn't seem very heavy, but once he got it out...

"A pirate costume?!" He exclaimed happily.

"Yeah, I know you like acting." He chuckled at his friend's enthusiasm. "Plus I think a pirate suits you." Sportacus leaned back against the bench as Robbie benevolently tore into the packaging.

Robbie wasn't very sporty, but he was a marvelous actor. He took charge in all the arts classes. He loved Halloween time the most when he could put his skills to use and not get judged for it. 

After all, he'd always get picked on for something anyway.

He'd always walk past groups of friends and could hear them make scathing remarks about him. Most of them just called him a loser, but some even went as far as to call him a gay theatre boy. 

It was true Robbie wasn't great with girls. He was never approached by them in his younger days, and when he tried to find himself a date for the dance on several occasions it ended in him getting rejected and embarrassed. Sportacus tried to make things better for him, but whenever he asked his friend to talk to girls for him the girls always thought it was Sportacus asking them to the dance instead of Robbie. It's been years since he even considered himself 'in the game' that was love. 

It's also been years since he realized maybe those kids were right. 

Of course, this had to strike just before Sportacus went off the deep end, so Robbie could never talk to Sportacus about it. He was much too coy and nervous to bring up such a personal topic. He wanted to, on several occasions. Once things went downhill, Robbie felt disconnected. He was more hurt than angry. After all, Sportacus was the only one he could connect to...

And that's how he fell so carelessly in love.

He felt extremely silly whenever Sportacus came into his personal space. It didn't bother him in a manner that he'd want to shove him away either. It frightened him sometimes. Robbie wasn't afraid to dress up like a girl sometimes, which caused him a lot of rude remarks. He feared the one thing he was good at was the same thing ruining his social life...

Every time a dance was coming up, the jocks would ask him if he was going to wear a dress. Robbie, of course, was embarrassed. He hated the thought of going alone, but he had nothing to fear. Sportacus always made sure to hang out with him the whole time.

Or at least try to.

However, the night never ended the way Sportacus promised it would. For a guy that can do almost anything, he couldn't make very wise choices as a kid.

"I'm sorry, Robbie." Sportacus would say as he got dragged onto the dance floor by a group of girls. This happened frequently, and in all honesty it made Robbie green with envy. Those stupid girls always stealing his best friend away from him...

It made him rather sad.

Robbie would be left sitting alone outside while everyone partied on the inside, yet another reason why he hated the idea of get-togethers of any sort. Well, at least ones that involved a ton of people. His birthday rendezvous with Sportacus were just to his liking and he couldn't be happier than spending time with his best friend.

"Thank ye so much, me matey!" Robbie cheered and embraced him after putting his hat and eyepatch on, "Yar har!" He bellowed.

Sportacus laughed in response, "You really are talented." He patted him on the back, "Don't let anyone bully you for being you. That's what makes you special."

Robbie felt his stomach lurch. That was, in fact, one of the several moments where he wanted to say something. His heart rate would quicken, he'd feel his face burn...

Robbie came back to reality. He looked at the glass tubes that contained his many disguises. He got up from his chair and walked up the steps. He put his hand against the glass, staring at his Rottenbeard costume. He smiled slightly before scrunching up his expression with a cringe, "WHAT AM I DOING?" He asked out loud to himself. He stepped away from the line of disguises, winding up falling backwards once his rump met the railing. He hit the ground below with a crash, "I meant to do that!" Once he scraped himself up off the floor, he knew what he had to do. He took a deep breath, "Sportacus always did give me the bests gifts... and cake." He looked towards the exit with a wild look in his eyes, "I'm only doing this for myself. I'll just collect my presents and my cake and get out." He told himself as he headed up and out of his lair.

Sportacus's POV:

Meanwhile, as he soared through the atmosphere, Sportacus, too, found himself reminiscing over what he used to share with Robbie Rotten. Sure, the other residents of LazyTown were a thrill to be around; however, he couldn't help but wonder if things were differently... He was rather lonely whenever he wasn't saving someone or playing with the children. Every time he went down there, Robbie tried to foil the fun. Even though Sportacus could stay up in his zeppelin, he couldn't help but pop down there unexpectedly sometimes. Perhaps he was just looking for an excuse to run into his rival again.

He always felt protective of Robbie. He wanted to ensure he was never in any danger or being harassed again. He recalled one instance...

"Let me go!" Sportacus could hear Robbie's strained voice coming from inside the locker room. He did not hesitate before barging in to see who was tormenting his friend.

When he got inside and saw what he saw, Sportacus was so very thankful he arrived in time.

One of the school's biggest jocks had Robbie picked up off the ground. He was squirming and writhing trying to get away while the other two approached.

"C'mon!" Came a snicker, "I bet he's wearing girl panties!" The head of their group laughed as the others began reaching to pants him.

"Stop it!" Sportacus yelled and rushed over. He had never felt so angry before in his life. Never has he witnessed someone assaulting someone so close to him like this. He pushed the other jock away, "Leave him alone! Put him down!" 

The bully smirked, "Coming to save your damsel in distress?" He put Robbie down gently only to capture him in a headlock.

"I said let him go." Sportacus threatened, feeling infuriated. He couldn't believe how imprudent and foolish these guys were. "Now."

"Or else what?" The slightly taller bully asked, "What are ya gonna do? Go get the teacher, Mr. Goody Two Shoes?"

Sportacus furrowed his brow. He could feel the other bully behind him. He quickly dispatched him with a sharp jab of the elbow into his abdomen. He heard a groan and used this as a cue to seize the opportunity. He did a single flip and swung his leg out behind the bully holding Robbie as he landed, causing him to trip. He let go of Robbie immediately as he fell backwards. Robbie immediately bolted for the door with Sportacus pursuing him.

"Thanks, Sportacus. You really saved my ass back there." Robbie laughed as they left the lunch line together, "Literally."

Sportacus put an arm around his friend, "No ones allowed to pick on you but me." He laughed as they found their seats.

And Robbie smiled in the most giddy of ways. He loved to see him light up, but to make him smile himself made Sportacus feel even better.

Sportacus did end up receiving detention for taking manners into his own hands. However, he claimed that it was worth it. Robbie was glad. There wasn't anymore bullying incidents after that. Sportacus looked like a hero. He received a lot of compliments from the teachers. Even the principal that gave him detention said it was very brave of him for what he had done.

Sportacus felt empowered.

Just the thought of the past was enough to make Sportacus whip his aircraft around and head back for LazyTown. He felt stupid for thinking he should give up on the whole thing. Robbie still meant as much to him now as he did back then, and he wasn't going to let him get away so easily. Once he was positioned above, his platform lowered and he called for his ladder. He descended into LazyTown's quiet streets and immediately began parkouring in the direction of Robbie's lair. He finished a flip and wound up nearly crashing into someone. He froze immediately when he realized who the person was that was face-to-face with him.

Robbie Rotten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's the second chapter. Three will be up probably tomorrow :) Hope you enjoy~


	3. Horrific Realizations and Guilty Sensations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After having a rather awkward run-in, Sportacus lets some emotions out and Robbie is in for a bit of a culture shock.

Robbie's POV:

Robbie was trying to get outside as sneakily as he could as not to raise the kids' alarms. He crept along the wall, peeking out occasionally. With a smirk, he mumbled to himself, "I'm actually getting away with this for once." He hopped up onto the fence and got back down, advancing towards the stage the Mayor seemingly had set up. He looked around with disgust. Had the kids set this up for him? Purple, red, and blue ribbons were strung up everywhere. He continued walking until he saw a blue blur somersaulting it's way towards him. He stopped on a dime just as Sportacus landed in front of him. He flinched and cowered at the blue elf's feet. He looked down and up before composing himself and getting back up, "Watch where you're going!" Robbie then grumbled, realizing he'd been caught by the one person he could've cared less about seeing.

"I'm sorry." Sportacus stated blankly. He let out a fraction of a chuckle.

Robbie narrowed his eyes, "What are you sniggering about?" He pointed a rather stern finger at him.

Sportacus sighed, rolled his eyes, and shook his head, "I'm just glad you came out of hiding."

"Well..." Robbie huffed, "I don't see why you'd be so thrilled." He crossed his arms and turned his back.

"What can I say, I like seeing people happy." Sportacus replied in a gentle tone that made every hair on Robbie's neck stand up. He heard the athletes tennis shoes dragging gently against the ground and turned his head to find him holding out a small box with a red bow on top. Sportacus grinned, "Especially when it's someone I care about."

As much as Robbie wanted to break at the sight of a gift, he scrunched up his nose, "Hmph. Well, whatever is in that box cannot buy my friendship."

"That's not all that I wanted, Robbie." Sportacus sighed, "I just want you to trust me again."

Robbie felt his eye twitch. He wheeled around and pressed a finger into Sportacus's firm chest which jabbed him every time Robbie used an adjective to describe him, "I never should've trusted you in the first place, you egotistical, self-conceited-" 

"I'm sorry." Sportacus said, grabbing ahold of his wrist.

Robbie tensed as he felt rather stubby fingers clasp around his lower arm. He felt like his confused fifteen-year-old self again. He went to speak, unsure what monstrosity would escape his mouth, but he was cut off by Sportacus's own apologetic words.

"I was a foolish, arrogant kid back then that took you for granted." Sportacus butted in, taking a step closer, "I didn't realize how much more important you were to me than being 'the cool kid'." He turned Robbie's hand over and placed the small box in it, "Forgive me..."

Robbie was touched. He felt as if his ice cold heart had suddenly began to melt. He wanted to return to those arms that used to comfort him as a kid, but his feet felt as if they were glued to the pavement. He swallowed hard. He didn't know what to do or what to say. Instead of saying something he'd regret, he jerked his wrist out of Sportacus's grasp and took off with the present.

Sportacus's POV:

Sportacus let out a heavy sigh as he watched his rival make off with his gift. He turned away and slumped towards Stephanie's house.

The kids were all horrified to see Sportacus actually walking for once. They knew something had to be wrong if he wasn't flipping over everything in sight. He sat down on the couch and rubbed his forehead, "He took the present and ran." Was all he said to answer the kids baffled expressions.

"Sportacus, are you okay?" Stephanie asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He grumbled in response and laid down across the couch face first, "If you're going to set up for his party, feel free... I don't think I'll be going." He emitted a long, defeated exhale. "I'll just make things worse."

"But Sportacus, he was your best friend!" Trixie exclaimed with approving nods from the rest of the kids.

Though the children usually brightened his spirits, this was not the time for that. This was twice he's been shut down in one day. He thought he was getting somewhere... the look Robbie gave him before he took off was forever reverberating inside his skull. He was out of options and motivation to even try to get somewhere with Robbie. "Keyword: Was." Sportacus muttered into the cushions.

Stephanie looked around, "Guys, he may be right. He tried his best to try to change him..." She glanced out the window towards Robbie's door, "Wounds probably got reopened when Sportacus came and it'll take some time to heal them."

The rest of the kids stared at her for a moment before giving nods and letting out sighs.

"Well, whether we like him or not, we probably should at least make an effort." Ziggy gave a long lick of the sucker in his grasp, "Maybe if Sportacus can't get him to open his eyes, we can." The candy lover suggested with confidence.

"You may be right." Trixie agreed, "This could be a team effort." And with that said, the kids all patted Ziggy on the back for his idea.

Sportacus closed his eyes while the kids chatted about ideas for more decorations. He didn't move until they were slipping out the door.

"You stay here, we'll be back shortly." Stephanie told him.

He raised a thumbs up in response and heard the door close a second after. Sportacus sat up, relieved they had left. He never liked to be in company of others when he felt lower than usual. Honestly, Robbie's antics had him feeling weaker than having a sugar meltdown. Knowing the mayor was in the town hall, Sportacus knew he was in fact alone. He rose to his sneakers and stumbled towards the bathroom.

After turning on the faucet, he splashed some cold water on his face. For being so devilishly handsome, he was always a sort of ugly crier. As much as he hated seeing his own tears, he had to sometimes to remind himself that he wasn't a complete- he hated using curse words- asshole like he used to be. Back then when Robbie said he didn't want to be friends, Sportacus was more numb about it than anything. He didn't let it bother him. After all, his other athletic friends kept him company all the time. So what if a boy a grade lower than him decided he didn't want Sportacus's friendship anymore? He had all the popular guys in school wanting to be him and the girls wanting to be with him.

Just the thought of that was enough to make him feel even worse about himself. He really had screwed things up back then. He wished he didn't have to discover that life lesson through losing someone who would soon prove to be the most stubborn person to gain trust back from. He shook his head and wiped his eyes. His face was red, sportscandy red. He looked into the mirror at his tear-stained cheeks and pouty lip, "Why was I like that?" He asked his own reflection. "Better yet, why am I like this now?" He pulled his hat off and wiped his tears away with it. If there was anything he hated more than laziness, it was feeling like nothing in his life was going right. He fixed his hat, covering up his pointed ears. He composed himself after a few moments of silence and let out a puff of air, heading back to the living room. He laid down on the floor and began doing push ups to try and push the haunting thoughts away.

Robbie's POV: 

After fleeing to the billboard, Robbie concealed himself behind it. He let out heavy pants. He had never ran that fast in his life. He was probably lucky Sportacreep didn't pursue him or he would've been in real trouble. He looked at the box in his hand and let out a sigh. Sportacus did practically give it to him. Robbie just ran away with it instead of opening it right then and there. It was like taking candy from a baby whom offered it to him. He quickly took the shiny red bow off the top and stuck it to the lid of his lair. He curled his fingers around the top of the box and took it off. At first he thought there wasn't anything in it, but after removing a layer of paper he discovered a small velveteen pouch. He picked it up and loosened it up, reaching two of his digits inside to grasp hold of what felt like a chain. He was confused. "A necklace? Is he mocking my fragile masculinity?" He grunted before pulling it out of the pouch. Robbie found a round locket on the end of it. He struggled with it for a moment before it finally opened, revealing a picture of him and Sportacus when they were younger, about 12 and 13 respectively. Memories flooded into his head immediately.

"I'm not a chicken!" Robbie pouted as the other kids in the schoolyard poked fun at him. He crossed his arms and flew up the monkey bars, determined to prove them wrong. He sat down on top and narrowed his eyes, "See?" He mocked them.

The whistle blew only seconds after this.

Robbie felt his stomach get a sick, twisted feeling. He went into a state of panic as he realized he couldn't get back down. 

The other kids laughed at him as they ran to go inside, "He's such an idiot!"

Sportacus shot one more hoop before he noticed Robbie really wasn't having fun making friends as he suggested.

"Sportacus, help!" Robbie yelled as the elf had looked his way. He held onto the bars as tightly as he could, fearing for his life.

Of course, the young blue elf came a-running to the rescue. He stood below with his arms out, "Just hop down Robbie, I'll catch you!" Sportacus announced with a glint in his eye.

Robbie let out a whimper. He looked towards the entrance back into the school. He glanced back down at Sportacus, "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely." Sportacus grinned with a nod, "You can trust me, can't you?"

Robbie took a deep breath. He slipped his legs down over the side and exhaled before letting gravity do its job. He landed in his friend's arms, whom seemed thrilled to have caught him. He looked at Sportacus and chuckled as he was let down, "Thank you..."

"Anytime." Sportacus winked and nudged him, "Let's go in."

Robbie blinked his eyes as he realized what was happening. He felt a warm droplet roll down his cheek and immediately tensed up. No, he couldn't let himself stoop so low again, especially on his big day. But even so, he couldn't stop himself from breaking into quiet sobs as he leaned his head against the hatch to his lair. "Shit..." He whispered to himself. He hadn't realized how much he truthfully missed him. His undying hatred for the blue kangaroo only made things worse. It only caused Robbie to think about him constantly. Not a day went by without him trying to come up with plans to get Sportaflop out of town. Wiping away tears, Robbie looked down at the locket. He carefully slipped it on over his head. "Just for today." He told himself, inhaling deeply and letting it out. He glanced towards the rest of LazyTown before stepping out from behind it. He composed himself before beginning to swagger towards the stage where the others would be waiting. Robbie supposed being nice for one day wouldn't necessarily kill him. Besides, after being sheltered below for most of the 365 days, he craved and also needed the attention.

Once he arrived at the sportsfield, which had been transformed into a set up for a special event, he took notice of all the decorations strewn everywhere. Robbie noticed a trio of heads working on unloading things out of a shopping bag. He struck a rather sassy pose with his hands on his hips, "Hey kids."

Two of the children jumped when they realized who it was. Stephanie just sighed, but put on a obviously fake smile, "Robbie Rotten!" She exclaimed in the same tone she usually would with the other two chiming in.

Robbie, already feeling rather annoyed with how they were acting, shook off his expression, "Where's Sportaflop?" He questioned them, positive there was no way Sportaflippity would make them do all the work that he used to.

"Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but I don't think he's coming because you-" Trixie began, but was quickly silenced by Ziggy's hand. She continued to talk into Ziggy's probably sticky palm, looking rather angry.

Robbie felt his heart descending. Sportacus wasn't coming? It's one thing if he simply cannot come, but just not coming out of spite... Robbie suddenly felt a wave of guilt wash over him. He comes to be a good boy for once and this is the news he is hit with? His face suddenly turned white as a ghost, "Oh..."

Ziggy's eyes suddenly widened as they rested on Robbie's chest, "Have you always had that thing?" He asked, pointing towards it with a lollipop in his hand. "What even is it?"

Robbie clutched hold of the locket, almost as if he was afraid the sugar-crazed boy would make it sticky, "No, I actually just got it." He huffed, but it came out more like a pout, "And it's a locket." He explained, not even bothering to show them the inside of it.

Stephanie crossed her arms with a scowl, "Is that the gift you stole from Sportacus?"

"Well, steal is a bit of a negative word." Robbie rolled his eyes. This being nice thing was hard. Especially to children... He wanted to gag at the thought of what he was doing. He simply forced a smile and looked down at them, folding his arms over his chest, "He handed it to me and I took off with it."

The kids shook their heads in disappointment. Stephanie came forward and grabbed a party hat off the table beside her. She stood up on her tip toes, "Here.."

Robbie ducked his head down and let her put the hat on his head. For a second, he thought the awkward tension in the air was long gone. He realized he was all wrong. He winced as she made the chin strap snap him harder than it should've, "Ow."

"Happy Birthday, Robbie." Stephanie said in a rather sarcastic tone, which honestly scared him a little. Nothing was more intimidating to him than an angry child.

He couldn't blame them for being so salty towards him. They only knew Sportacus's side of the story. He knew the second they questioned where the locket came from that the blue kangaroo had said something to them.

Robbie rubbed his chin where the elastic strap had struck him. He grumbled, his eyes skidding over towards Stephanie's house. Almost as quickly as they left, his guilty feelings rushed back over him. He couldn't really have a happy birthday knowing he upset someone... But had he really hurt Sportanoodle's feelings so much to the point he wouldn't show up at all? 

Robbie didn't like that thought not one bit. While he may get irritated with how happy-go-lucky he was all the time... Whenever he wasn't, it threw the balance off. Robbie was supposed to be the grumpy, inactive one, not him.

Sportacus had to come back or Robbie may not have a truly 'happy' birthday.

And that thought alone made him realize what a complete ass he had been earlier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking around and continuing to read up to this point. ^^ Hope you like UglyCrier!Sportacus bc tbh he's so gorgeous and I think it'd be frightening to see him cry since he's such a ray of sunshine. 
> 
> I still have several thousand words I need to look over and post, so the following chapters should be up pretty soon (Although school and archery may slow me down getting this updated). Let me know if you've enjoyed this so far.


	4. The Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robbie let's his guard down for a while and has some fun with Sport and the kids at his party.

Sportacus's POV:

Sportacus, after exercising, felt a lot better. He rolled his shoulders to loosen them up after doing push ups. He was feeling rather low on energy, so he briskly made his way to the kitchen. He grabbed an apple off the counter, sure Stephanie wouldn't mind if he refueled. He smiled as he took a bite out of the juicy red fruit, but it soon faded away when he spotted Robbie's birthday cake. "Oh no, the kids forgot it..." He sensed that the party would be starting soon. He couldn't let this happen, no matter how nervous he felt about facing Robbie again. "You can't have a birthday party without a cake." He declared as if to convince himself further, sitting the sports candy down. He bounded over to the cake and picked it up with care before making his way out the door with the three-tiered pastry.

"I'll just leave the cake and return to the airship, no problem." He told himself. He didn't necessarily want to face the villain again after he snatched his present and ran. What are the odds he even opened it anyways?

As Sportacus strolled towards the stage, he spotted Robbie and the children standing around. They seemed to be discussing something. However, he soon found a pair of grey eyes upon him. He suddenly felt uneasy at Robbie's glance.

"Oh, it's Sportacus!" The kids declared and jumped up and down excitedly once they noticed where the villain was looking.

Sportacus couldn't help but smile as he approached them. His legs, however, soon felt as if they were turning to stone. He really, really didn't like the awkward atmosphere. He sat the cake down upon the table, "You can't exactly have a party without a cake, now can you?"

"We just noticed we forgot it." Stephanie laughed, "Thanks, Sportacus."

"Anytime." He nodded in response. "Have fun at the party. Happy Birthday, Robbie!" He jerked his arms in three directions and went to bound off.

"Wait!" Robbie shouted, grabbing Sportacus's wrist before he could go.

The blue elf stopped immediately. He grew tense but met the villain's eyes, "What?" He half-spat, a rather surprising hostility coming from someone that was such a compassionate person/

Robbie's nose twitched and he took a moment. Sportacus watched the rise of his chest as he blurted out an inaudible, nearly zoning out as he realized Robbie was wearing the locket. Robbie's words were what brought him back to reality, "Thank you." The villain looked down at the locket, "For the present. I really appreciate the thought..."

Sportacus slowly smiled, though he was afraid to. He didn't want to read too far into things as he usually did, "No problem, Robbie."

"One more thing..." Robbie did a half circle around the hero, "Would you stay and celebrate for a bit?" He asked in an indifferent tone. He seemed to be irritated with something.

Nevertheless, it was music to Sportacus's ears. He nodded and put his hands on his waist, "Is this an invitation?" He boomed.

"Consider it one." Robbie laughed ever so slightly and stepped away from him.

Sportacus chuckled, seeing his childhood friend happy for once, "Alright." He couldn't help himself and took ahold of the locket around Robbie's neck, "I hope this didn't bring back too many bad memories."

"More like some of the best memories." Robbie piped up, "But enough of the mushy business, let's get down to my party." He yanked the chain and pulled the locket out of his grasp like an overprotective mother.

"You call the shots so, what's first?" Sportacus went along with his wishes. He didn't want to push his luck at this state.

Robbie stammered, "F-First?" He looked around as everyone, the kids, the mayor, and Bessie, all stared up at him expectantly. His nose twitched and he fiddled with his hands.

Sportacus grinned, seeing Robbie never grew out of his anxious fidgety self. "How about we do cake first and then games and presents afterwards?" He quickly suggested, hoping to ease Robbie's panicking mind. "If that's okay with you."

Robbie nodded swiftly in response as the color returned to his face.

The party went on without a hitch. Sportacus led the birthday song, passed the cake out to everyone (but himself, he brought sports candy for that), and assisted Robbie with opening presents. Sporty couldn't recall a time he ever saw the villain so happy. A never-ending smile was plastered across his face the entire time. He even got up and participated in some of the games (as long as they didn't involve too much physical movement). However, after partying too hard, Robbie soon fell sluggish and rather tired. Sportacus laughed after he nearly fell off the stage, obviously coming to help him regain his balance.

"You seem rather..."

"Low on energy?" Robbie grumbled and gazed up at Sportacus. He rubbed his forehead with the back of his palm, "I'm so drained... I'm usually not awake this long..."

"Sports candy?" Stephanie offered, coming forward with a shiny red apple in her hand. 

Sportacus felt his stomach churn. He went to stop her, "You know Robbie doesn't eat-"

He was cut off by the sound of a crisp crunch. 

Robbie cringed slightly, but got back to his feet immediately, "Thanks." He muttered before looking up at Sportacus's awestruck expression, "What's the matter, Sportaflop?" He asked with a scowl, wiping his lips with his sleeve. He handed the apple over to him and rubbed his hands on his pants with a disgusted look, "Cat got your tongue?" He smirked.

Sportacus simply responded with a firm hug. Sure, it may have been barely a nibble, but it was meritorious enough to be worthy of praise, "I'm proud of you." He half-whispered. "Really, I am..."

He could feel Robbie's body tense at the sign of affection. Sportacus decided maybe he shouldn't have done such a mushy act. Especially when Robbie was technically not his friend still, or if he was he didn't make that clear. Sportacus went to release the taller man from his embrace, but stopped when he felt thin arms welcome him in return. 

Robbie's POV:

Robbie felt the strong arms of Sportacus curl around him. He let out a strained grumble, only Sport could hear. "It was just a damn apple." He sighed, but felt began to feel himself shatter. That's when he did something stupid. He couldn't tell if he was thinking or not when he wrapped his arms around the blue elf. It was just a quick squeeze and then he let go, composing himself. However, he found himself getting distracted before he could get his guard back up. He gazed down at Sportacus for a moment as his heart rate went up. He felt very, very dizzy at the moment. The only thing he could focus on was Sportacus's eyes, which were a shade of blue that was nearly indescribable... Like the sky or even the tide of the ocean. He wanted to just drown and dissolve into such a bright color so full of happy and happiness. Though blue was usually a symbol of being sad, his blues remained as crystal as ever. They really were a look into his soul, which was generally clear and pure, at least in the kids eyes. Robbie's own dull, stormy grey eyes were nothing in comparison. As much as he hated to admit it even to himself alone, he really had missed seeing that lively color up close and personal...

"Snap out of it, Robbie!" A voice from the back of his mind scolded him.

Sportacus smiled in response, "You only continue to surprise me." He stepped back slowly, seemingly taking notice of how it was an invasion of personal space.

"What can I say?" Robbie said and let go of him, straightening his posture up and putting his hands on his hips, "I'm the master of... surprise." He said with a leer, hoping to humor whoever heard his joke.

Sportacus sighed and rolled his eyes in response, but Robbie took notice of the faint smile on his lips. He looked at the kids whom were looking at them, "What?" Robbie snapped at their raised eyebrows.

Stephanie had a stupid grin, "Well, that's not something you see everyday." She giggled with the other kids.

"I wish we could see it everyday." Sportacus patted Robbie on the shoulder, whom grew unsettled.

"Don't we all!" The Mayor shouted, "I'd say this has been the most successful party we've had in years."

Robbie had let himself down again. He let Sportacus see right through him. Even more than that, he let himself get those stupid warm fuzzy feelings all over again.

"Oh no, no, no." He scolded himself. "You can't let this happen all over again."

Coming back to his senses, the villain became his typical brooding self yet again, "Hmph..." Robbie pouted, feeling flustered and embarrassed. He narrowed his eyes at the kids, whom had broken into a conversation about having parties more often. He was unaware everyone had been watching him so closely. He turned away from them.

Sportacus soon put an arm around him, "No need to act like that, Robbie." He assured him, "I'm glad to see you smiling again."

Robbie looked over at him. He couldn't believe what he was doing. He was letting his guard slip yet again. The brick fortress protecting such a fragile soul came crashing down far too often. He looked at his watch. It wasn't long before 8:08... He bit his lip. He, himself, planned to retire to bed as soon as possible. He made the rather snappy decision to advance the conclusion of his celebration, "Do you think it's time to clean up for the party? It seems like the kids are done goofing around." He snorted.

"Say no more." Sportacus winked and flipped off of the stage. "Can you kids clean up while I help Robbie carry his presents and cake down to his lair?"

The kids all nodded happily and started right into dismantling the set up they spent hours on. As much as he should've thanked them for all the work they put into his big day... He couldn't allow himself to say one more nice thing. His fatigued brain already in the danger zone of saying something ridiculous.

Robbie fidgeted awkwardly with the presents from the kids, stacking them taller than he was. He picked it up but ended up shaking so bad they nearly went plummeting to the wooden floor of the platform. Sportacus came to the rescue, ensuring the presents weren't lopsided. He took them from Robbie and chuckled, "Still as clumsy as ever."

Robbie stuck his tongue out, "Yeah, yeah..." He rolled his eyes and grabbed the remainder of his birthday cake, "Lets just get this stuff home, capiche?"

Sportacus frowned all of a sudden, but nodded and followed after him.

As they exited the earshot of the children, Sportacus fired the first question, "So how did you like your party?"

Robbie didn't even look over his shoulder. He didn't know what to say.

He allowed silence to be the elf's answer.

Robbie nearly winced as Sportacus spoke again, in a rather upset tone, "Oh, so what then?" He walked a bit quicker to be right at Robbie's side, "Do you still hate me?" He asked as they made it to the hatch.

Robbie set the cake down, "That's a bit of a strong word." He let out a loud sigh, "I never really hated you, Sportanoodle." He replied in a sarcastic tone, "I just... felt I couldn't trust you."

Sportacus nodded, "And now how do you feel towards me?"

"I feel..." Robbie began, but cut himself off. He couldn't explain it. He was still quite hurt by him, but it was obvious Sportacus still cared about him. Maybe he really had changed, but how could Robbie be sure?

Thankfully, his anxious heart was allowed to settle as Sportacus spoke again.

"You don't have to answer. I know you're probably confused." Sportacus suddenly let out a quiet laugh, "Just give it some time. I'll make things up to you, I promise."

"Promises are made to be broken." Robbie remarked in a scathing tone.

Sportacus furrowed his brow slightly, "Not this one." He bowed his head.

Robbie couldn't necessarily argue with that. He reached a hand out, "Okay..." He groaned, hesitantly letting their hands touch, "I'll be civil with you for now."

"I never give up." Sportacus shook his hand, a sparkle of hopefulness in his eyes. "But... perhaps we should keep this a secret from the kids." He released Robbie's hand and gave him a leering smile like he knew something.

"And whys that?" Robbie asked, but he already knew the answer himself.

Sportacus didn't miss a beat, "To entertain them as the hero and villain." He chuckled, "I know how much you like to thrill them."

"I don't like to mess with those annoying brats, I just have my own ways of coping with them." Robbie hissed, "That goes for you as well."

"Sure, whatever you say, Robbie." Sportacus mocked him, poking him lightly in the side, "Let's get this stuff down to your place and go our separate ways, capiche?" 

"Capiche." Robbie huffed and opened the hatch, "Just drop it in. Nothing's breakable so..." He held it open for Sportacus, leaning against the pipe.

Sportacus nodded and tossed down the various presents. Among them were a giant stuffed bear from Stephanie, sound eliminating ear muffs from Pixel, a ton of sugary sweets from Ziggy, and some other odds and ins from the others. Once he had tossed the last box down, only the cake remained. Sportacus lifted it, "Alright, you want to take this and I'll hold it open?"

Robbie seized the cake from Sportacus. He made sure his feet were firmly planted before he looked at the elf with a wild look in his grey eyes, "Thank you." He said without a second thought. The second the words left his lips he felt a bitter taste in the back of his throat.

Sportacus seemed rather bewildered. He let his lips curl into a broad smile, "No problem, Robbie." He raised an eyebrow, leaning over to look into the pipe, "Goodnight, Robbie."

"W-Wait!" Robbie shouted frantically, seeing him go to close the lid. When the elf poked his head back into his sights he felt relief wash over him. "We need to talk." He said the second Sportacus's eyes focused on him. What was he doing? He felt his heart race. No, he couldn't do this. Not at the moment at least, he was still feeling insanely tired. The party had kept him up all day so he didn't have as much sleep. If they discussed matters now with his head not in the right state, Robbie may say something stupid. He shook his head, "Not now, but later... tomorrow after I get some sleep, okay?"

"Got it." Sportacus let out a cheerful, anxious laugh, "I'll be here in the morning if that's fine with you."

Robbie gave a thought. He reluctantly nodded, "Not too early." He pointed a finger and squinted. At the sight of Sportacus giving an understanding bob of his head, he let out a gentle exhale, "I'm outta here." He let go of the ladder and slid on down the hatch.

Sportacus's POV: 

It was one thing for Robbie to thank him. It was another thing for him to invite him back. Maybe he was really starting to see the light. Just the thought of the possibility of Robbie being friendly with him again made his heart swell. He jerked his arms around with cartoony swishes before leaping into the air and flipping back over to the stage. He landed and put his hands on his hips, "Hey kids."

"Sportacus!" Stephanie grinned, "How was Robbie?" She asked excitedly.

The athlete shrugged, "Rotten as usual, but he may come around." He grinned and began to help them pack up whatever supplies were left, "At least I hope so."

"We all do." Ziggy said, stuffing a handful of leftover candy into his mouth, "Do you think he misses the way things used to be?"

Sportacus rubbed the back of his neck, "I-I don't know, maybe." He looked over at the billboard, "We'll just have to wait and see. He may surprise us."

"I like surprises." Ziggy laughed and began to walk home, "I'll see you guys tomorrow. Basketball, right?"

"Yep!" Stephanie laughed, "Sportacus would you want to join us?"

"As long as no one needs my help." Sportacus chuckled and looked at the time, "It's almost eight.." He looked up at the dusk sky, "I should get going." He lifted a hand up and shouted, "Ladder!" His wish was granted and he seized one of the bars in his hand, "Goodnight kids."

"Goodnight Sportacus!" The kids called after him.

After ascending the rope ladder, Sportacus found himself back inside his airship. He made himself a banana smoothie and sat down in the pilots seat. He gazed up at the stars for a while, reflecting on what happened earlier. He smiled and took a sip of his smoothie, "I sure hope tomorrow is as great as today was." He told himself and relaxed until it was time for him to flip into bed. He settled down onto his mattress and covered up. He soon fell asleep, wondering what the following morning would bring him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yet another chapter done. If there's any mistakes let me know ^^ Please leave a comment if you enjoyed. Thank you all for reading!


	5. Emotions & Commotions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robbie and Sportacus have a confrontation, but Robbie doesn't want to give in so easily...

Robbie's POV:

Robbie woke up, ate some leftover birthday cake, and tidied up around his lair. It wasn't long before he returned to his orange recliner and was out like a lightbulb yet again. When he awoke next, he heard a loud creak followed by clanging coming from the pipe that connected him to the surface. He threw his blanket up over his head, wondering who was coming to see him. That's when he realized he had invited the jumping blue kangaroo down to have a chat. He threw the blanket off just in time to find Sportacus come sliding on out.

"'Morning, Robbie!" Sportacus chuckled as he stuck the landing. He buffed out his chest with his hands on his hips.

"I thought I said not to come too early." Robbie narrowed his eyes, "What time is it anyways?" He complained, wiping his eyes.

"Robbie, it's 11:30." Sportacus shook his head, looking about the lair, "Do you always keep it this dark and dreary in here?"

Robbie took his pajama hat off and glared, "Yes, I do." He walked towards his disguise chambers. He stood in front of his everyday wear, throwing a glance over his shoulder. He felt himself grow unsettled as he noticed Sportacus was watching him. Did the elf have no shame? He squinted, "Do you mind?" He huffed as he went to pull the lever.

Once Sportaloon has turned his back, Robbie changed into his normal attire. He adjusted his vest before walking back down to his recliner, "So..." He rubbed the back of his neck anxiously, feeling his palms growing clammy. He realized his locket wasn't around his neck and snatched it up off the night stand. He slipped it on over his head out of spite. He couldn't believe how much things have changed between them over the years. No matter how much he hated himself for letting his guard down the other day, nothing could've changed the empty feeling he held in his chest being down here by himself all the time. He was both annoyed, but thankful Sportacus took him up on the invitation to his quarters. He approached the hero, whom had seated himself on the arm of his orange chair. He was a little unsure about taking a seat, but an inviting look from those inescapable blue eyes coaxed him to sit down. He folded his arms over his chest, "Sportaloon..." He said as if he were about to begin a sentence.

Sportacus simply shook his head, "That's not my name."

"Sportacrust." Robbie huffed.

Sportacus furrowed a brow, "Close, but not quite."

"Fine..." Robbie snarled, uttering his correct alias with an air of irritation, "Sportacus..."

"Better." The elf beamed at him, turning his body to face him a little more. Robbie felt his chest grow fluttery yet again. He pushed it way back down within him. He couldn't make the same stupid mistakes he did yesterday. What was he thinking when he hugged him? What was he thinking by inviting him here to talk about their feelings? He obviously wasn't because now he felt remorse. He felt gross and tensed up. "I-" The villain began.

"Let your guard down." Sportacus interrupted. He seemed rather ashamed, disappointed even. "Whenever you do that you're never honest."

"Isn't it rude to interrupt someone?" Robbie frowned.

Sportacus gave him a dispirited frown himself, "Not when I need to know the truth."

Hesitantly, Robbie drew up a deep inhale, taking a breather for a moment. Sportacus seemed patient as he gazed upon him. The annoying twinkle in his eyes suddenly seemed a hell of a lot less irritating all of a sudden. Robbie rolled his shoulders, feeling the concept of 'flight or fight' kick in. Sure, he suggested discussing things, but... He now regretted being a good boy for a day. He couldn't just open up again after shutting him out for so long. He couldn't let himself crack under pressure either. Robbie avoided his gaze, "This was a mistake." He tried telling Sportacus, getting up from his chair, "I shouldn't have invited you."

"Robbie." Sport hopped up as well, "Don't let the past divide us anymore." He reached a hand out, "You don't have to keep locking things up inside yourself.

"D-Don't touch me." Robbie stammered and recoiled from the gesture. He narrowed his eyes defensively, "Why are you so sure you even want me to be your friend anymore?" He had to look away. His eyes wandered the lair for a moment as it went silent. Why was this oaf looking at him like that? It infuriated him. He pointed a finger, "Can't you get it through your thick skull that all I want to do is get you to leave forever?!" He was now shouting all of a sudden, unaware he had raised his voice, "I don't want or need your friendship, or anyone else's for that matter!" He was screeching like a banshee now. He felt like he had to protect himself from getting hurt all over again. As a half-a-second memory flashed though his mind, something felt like it struck him in the chest and soon Robbie was on his knees sobbing, "Just leave! GO AWAY!" He yowled like a wounded animal. He couldn't stop himself from blurting out such awful things, "I HATE YOU, AND I..." An odd strangled sound permeated the room as he choked back tears, "I hate myself for being this way..." His speech cracked and he his eyes were forced to the ground before him. Robbie was almost hyperventilating when he spoke again, "I don't want you here..." His voice lowered as he broke into sobs, "I... can't t-trust you anymore." His whole body trembled as he laid down upon the cold cement floor. "P-Please... l-leave..."

So much for being strong.

Sportacus's POV:

Any sensible, normal man would turn and walk away at the apparent undying, burning hatred Robbie held towards him, but Sportacus was not sensible or normal in any way shape or form. Though every word blurted from the lips of the villain felt like another vicious stab to his gargantuan heart, he couldn't leave him in this feeble state. He knew what Robbie looked like when he needed help, even in this day and age. Sportacus feared he knew Robbie better than ever before in this moment. At first, he was sure Robbie would hold up and force him out of the place, but he watched something change in him. It was almost like watching a caterpillar transform into a butterfly. Sportacus always found beauty in such a metamorphosis, especially when it fell from hatred to something less. Nevertheless, he knew exactly what someone in peril looked like. He felt his crystal vibrate against his chest and took a deep breath, knowing he was already on the scene, "Robbie..." His voice was not full of anger, as one would expect after being scolded, but it was as gentle as a lamb. Only the love of something so fragile could soothe the beast's pain. He wanted him to open up completely, but for the moment this was all Sportacus wanted. He'd take this one step at a time, both literally and figuratively. He took a slow, cautious step towards him. He wasn't sure if Robbie would welcome him or shove him away, but he knew he couldn't just stand there and leave him to suffer and wallow in his own self-loathing. Robbie flinched as he strode closer, but Sportacus didn't stop there. He dropped to his own knees at his side and laid a hand upon his back, "Don't cry..."

Robbie only answered him with sobs that were louder in volume.

Sportacus let out a sigh, not of disappointment, but out of pity. He recalled yesterday when he broke down before Robbie's party. He could only imagine the pain he caused Robbie so long ago. To discover it still caused him heartache to this day really opened his eyes. He really was a rather, for lack of a better word, shitty friend back then... He needed to make it up to him. He rubbed a large circle into the lanky man's shoulder blades, unsure what to say. 

He realized he didn't have to utter so much as a syllable as Robbie pressed his hands to the flooring and began to get up. However, he didn't sit up all the way. He practically fell over into Sport's lap an instant later, "Why are you so nice to me? Why..." He made a rather ugly choking noise, "W-Why can't you just be mean and awful to me like the last guy?!" Robbie laid there, practically allowing himself to be tended to by the superhero.

"Because I'm your friend, whether you like it or not..." Sportacus whispered in a soothing tone, running his hands over the upset villain, "I live to help others, even when they don't necessarily want it." 

As he spoke, Robbie suddenly shot up into a sitting position, "You... you make it so difficult to hate you..." He gazed up at him, tears continuing to stream down his pale cheeks, "I-I don't w-want to be hurt again..." He stuttered, "N-Never again..." 

"I could never hurt you..." Sportacus took a hand and cupped his cheeks, letting his thumb wipe away the leftover tears as they continued to fall, "I never realized I was hurting you so long ago." He knew he was overstepping his boundaries, but... He couldn't help it. He drew closer to him; "Robbie, I was a stupid kid back then..." He could feel his own cheeks burn at how close he was, "I was so blind to what I was doing to you, and for that I'm sorry."

Robbie didn't shy away. He let Sportacus do whatever he wanted to him, though he felt as if he was going to be sick. He grew disgusted with himself. How could he let this happen? How could he break down at a time like this? He felt his heart rate begin to settle along with his respiration. "S-Sportacus..." Was all he managed to call out before he felt a gravitational pull yank him into his arms. He gave him a tight squeeze, unsure what his body was doing. His mind was screaming it's disapproval, but it felt so nice to be welcomed like this. He laid his forehead against the athlete's broad shoulder, "T-Thank you..."

"No, thank you, Robbie." Sportacus responded and embraced him back, his palm traveling over his spine and offering a couple pats, "You don't have to keep your feelings locked up anymore." He assured him and pulled away, "If you ever need anything, and I mean anything, let me know."

Robbie felt his nose wiggle anxiously, "O-Okay, but..." He acted as if he were composing himself, brushing dirt from his usual attire, "Can we agree to never speak of this again?" He huffed, returning back to his usual self.

Sportacus frowned slightly but didn't object, "If that's what you want."

"And the kids cannot know. I can't handle the thought of them seeing me as anything but evil." Robbie continued, pointing a finger, "Capiche?"

"Capiche." Sportacus nodded, but he still had a question in mind, "When you said 'like the last guy'... do you mean to tell me Nine hurt you?"

Robbie bit his lip. He slowly nodded in response, "He... was awful..."

"What did he do?" Sportacus asked, getting rather protective just as he did back in the day, "Don't tell me he hurt you physically."

"Then I won't." Robbie let out a snort, hoping that answered his question.

"My god..." Sportacus exclaimed, "What did he do to you? Tell me..."

Robbie didn't really want to think about the past, especially when it's something he's sensitive to. "Threatened my life on several occasions, occasionally jumped me and beat me until I was blue in the face..." He shrugged, trying to act as if it didn't cause him any anxiety, "Until I came up with a plan to eliminate him from the town, that is."

"Robbie, I'm so sorry..." Sportacus went to apologize, but Robbie cut him off.

"It's not your fault, Sportaflop." Robbie shrugged and let out a yawn. Having an emotional breakdown sure made him tired. His head ached, his stomach churned, and he had a sour taste in his mouth. Sugary sweets weren't the best thing to eat and then get all upset while it's still sitting in your stomach, "I think I might be sick..."

Sportacus didn't hesitate. He scrambled to his feet, grabbed the bucket from a corner in the room, and handed it to him. Perfect timing too, as Robbie retched directly into it. Sportacus looked away with a disgusted look on his face, but he was thankful he was here when Robbie needed him. He didn't care what the task was; he wanted to take care of him. He waited until the vomiting had subsided before asking him, "You good?"

Robbie's face was as white as a ghost. He held his stomach and nodded slowly, "I-I think so..." The stale taste of soured frosting still present in his mouth. He shuddered and cringed, "God, I'm an idiot." He breathed out, resting his forehead against the bucket.

"No, you're not." Sportacus crouched and put an arm around the villain, "Can you please stop saying hurtful things about yourself?" He asked with a gloomy look in his eyes.

Robbie wiped his mouth with his sleeve, setting the bucket on the floor beside him, "Why?"

"It bothers me." Sportacus told him, giving his shoulder a squeeze, "So cut it out." He said in a rather demanding tone, his face completely serious.

Robbie looked at him for the longest time before letting out an irritated sigh, "Very well, if that's what makes you happy."

"Good boy." Sportacus said and pat him ever so gently on top of the head. 

At this, Robbie felt an alarming warmth creep over his cheeks, "Don't touch me." He wanted to hiss, but refrained from it, "So now what?" He asked to change the subject.

"The kids want me to play basketball with them today." Sportacus informed him. He instantly got that shimmer in his eyes like he had gotten an idea, "You should come join us." He suggested expectantly.

"No thanks." Robbie scoffed, getting up and stepping away from the elf, "Just because I'm agreeing to be civil with you doesn't mean you can invite me to your ridiculous sporty antics." He didn't even bother to look over his shoulder. He heard nothing but the sound of footsteps getting further away. He turned to find Sportacus going up the chute, "Where do you think you're going, Sportaloon?"

"Somewhere where I can be appreciated a little more." Robbie knew Sport meant no harm by that as he added a wink to the end of his statement, "Goodbye for now, Robbie." He chuckled and headed out.

He watched the elf head back to the surface, "Good riddance." He chortled to himself. However, the second the clamor of Sportanoodle wiggling himself out of the hatch died down, silence fell over him. Robbie felt his nose twitch awkwardly, "What the hell am I doing?" He asked himself, his heart once again feeling empty and shrinking to the size of a raisin, "Tch, I'm fine without him." He stated in a hardheaded tone. He threw himself down in his recliner and closed his eyes, passing out immediately.

Sportacus's POV:

A couple hours later and the kids and Sportacus were wrapping up an intense game of basketball.

"Come on, is that all you got?" Sportacus mocked Trixie after making yet another hoop. 

Pixel grabbed the ball and felt his stomach growl, "I don't know about you guys, but all this hoop shooting is making me hungry."

"Agreed!" Ziggy blurred out, rubbing his pudgy little stomach.

"Didn't you just suck down a bunch of taffy before we started playing?" Stingy asked him with a narrow of his eyes.

"Oh, well, yeah, but..." Ziggy stammered, "But I need some real food now!" He laughed awkwardly.

Sportacus put an arm around the short blonde boy, "Then allow me." He bellowed out to his airship, "Apples, bananas, oranges!" The said fruits rained down upon them, each kid catching one.

"You're the best." Stephanie laughed and sat down on the bench nearby. She began peeling away at the zest of her orange, "So, I'm pretty sure we're all curious..." She stopped once half of it was peeled, "How'd things turn out with you and Robbie?"

Sportacus felt his pointy ears grow warm. He would never lie, normally, but he had to for Robbie's sake, "Not very good I'm afraid." He felt remorse immediately after saying such a thing, after all, he was an overly honest truth teller. He bit his tongue to prevent him from spilling the real beans.

"Bummer." Trixie huffed between chewing her apple, "Oh well, we tried."

"Yeah, and that's all that matters. We all worked together as a team." Ziggy piped up, tossing his banana peel towards the trash can.

Sportacus grinned at them all, "I really appreciate everything you did for him yesterday. I think he liked being cared for."

"He sure is a weird one, but he has a gentle heart." Stephanie said, pulling out her diary, "I even called him a softie once, but now he's more like a tough shell to crack."

Sportacus beamed. He took a deep breath and looked towards the billboard longingly. He felt his face grow warm rather suddenly and pressed a hand to his forehead. Was it the heat or was he ill? He began to panic. He never really got under the weather unless it was from sugar. This could be bad. He hasn't gotten sick in years. Sportacus threw an anxious look at Stephanie, "Do I feel hot to you?"

Stephanie put her hand on his temple and raised an eyebrow, "Not really, but... maybe..." She said, moving her hands to cup his rather flushed cheeks.

At her uncertainty, Sportacus looked at the airship, "I should get this checked out. I'll be back." He said in a concerned tone.

The kids looked on with worry and confusion as Sportacus climbed the ladder.

Robbie's POV:

Robbie decided to take it upon himself and relax. Using his new sound-reducing ear muffs, he found it much easier to get a good amount of sleep. He would've slept for the rest of his life if it wasn't for his need to eat and drink. He awoke, feeling like he slept like a baby, "Now that's more like it!" He announced happily, gazing at the ear muffs. He was very pleased. He didn't have to worry about anyone or anything if he wore these constantly.

Well, other than himself. 

His main concern was getting lonely and desperate to the point of making an excuse to pick on the children. He supposed he should get himself a pet or something to keep him company, however; he wasn't sure after the RoboDog incident. He shuddered slightly, "Nope, never again." He told himself. He'd just have to find ways to keep his mind busy. He started by playing chess against himself in disguise, but that got rather boring. He wound up winning every time no matter how hard he tried to lose. With a disgruntled sigh, he knocked the chess board away from him, "This isn't working!" He rubbed his forehead, "C'mon, brain, think, think, think... We have to stay focused on anything but being my own lonely self."

But his brain wasn't listening. It had taken a vacation for the moment.

He scowled to himself as he heard the kids above via his speaker system that dropped down and almost hit him. He glared at the sound system.

"What do you think is wrong with Sportacus?" Ziggy's squeaky voice asked.

Stephanie let out a sigh, "I have no idea, but if he's ill he needs to take all the time he needs."

Robbie ran over to his periscope and whipped it around. What was wrong with the blue elf now? He couldn't help himself. He had to know.

"Maybe he needs another vacation if so. Stephanie could help out those in trouble again." Pixel said, "That was super cool!" He said encouragingly. Robbie wanted to vomit at how obviously the tech kid was in love with "pinkie". He held back a gag.

"Maybe you're right. We should at least check and make sure he's sick before deciding, though." Stephanie giggled and batted her eyelashes at Pixel as she walked along with the others. 

"So Sportaflop is sick?" Robbie said, not sure whether to be happy or sad. He forced himself to choose the first option, "Ha! No annoying flippity floppitying for me to deal with!" He tossed his ear muffs aside, "This is great!" He cheered and proceeded to bang his head off the speakers in his dance of excitement. He rubbed the back of his head and grumbled. The villain took the locket off from around his neck and gave it a negligent toss over his shoulder, "I don't need to mope around!" He shouted with a gleeful smile, "I can unwind and-"

He was cut off by the booming voices yet again.

"Well, until Sportacus gets back, how about we do something fun..." Ziggy suggested.

"Like what?" Stingy asked.

"Well, I know we threw Robbie a party yesterday, but... what if we threw Sportacus a get well soon party since he's feeling off lately." Stephanie proposed.

Robbie felt anger boil up within him. Already wanting to do something for that acrobatic doofus? Could he not have any more than twenty four hours of glory? He shoved the speakers away from him. Evidently they were keen on being as rambunctious and clamorous as they could, not to mention the fact they were irking him with their acts of friendship with one another. Robbie felt his eye twitch. How dare they be so polite to him yesterday and return to being antagonizing? He scrunched up his nose, "That's it." He huffed, "I'll just make a trap. After all, they cant throw him a party if he never shows up." He went through his various gadgets, deciding on his spring-up cage. "Now, I just have to catch him in this and they'll have their party crashed." He snickered in a nefarious manner, packing up everything he needed to set his plan in motion. He knew he did agree to being civil towards the hero, but... Where did the line need to be crossed? He felt like he had something to prove... Yes, he didn't need anyone. He's survived for so long without company, so why should he give in now? 

He shouldn't. 

After being so broken down, he realized this. He was still LazyTown's number one villain. Nothing would stop him from doing his vile deeds, even if they got thwarted in the end. 

He had to stop Sportaloon, no matter what they agreed to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's Chapter 5! :) I really appreciate those of you who continue to read this. It means a lot to me <3 Chapter 6 is in progress so it may be a couple days or so before I finish it. As usual, let me know if you enjoyed or if you found any mistakes~


	6. Another Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids throw Sportacus a party and Robbie sets up a trap.

Sportacus's POV:

After assessing his body temperature issue and finding nothing wrong, he returned down to earth. He bit his lip, "That's odd, I could've sworn I felt a little warm."

Stephanie raised an eyebrow, "Maybe your heads just all scrambled from everything that happened yesterday."

"Hmph." Sportacus hummed and straightened up his hat, "Maybe you're right..." He let out a slow exhale, "Its nothing, I'm sure..."

But it was something. At least it was enough for Stephanie to suggest another vacation. Sportacus opened his mouth to object, but she had already begun to take his crystal, "No buts..." She smiled at him, "You need some time to yourself."

"What am I supposed to do?" Sportacus asked, though he considered dropping in on Robbie again. That thought was quickly pushed to the back of his mind. He should just leave him alone before he irritates him any more.

"I don't know..." Stephanie shrugged, "What do you usually do whenever you're not helping anyone."

"Wait until someone needs help." Sportacus admitted awkwardly. He was never fond of sitting up there all alone, though he had gotten used to it. He looked up at the sky, "I suppose I could tidy up in there..."

"You need some time to think. Yesterday was stressful." Stephanie smiled and pat him on the back. "So go relax a bit. I'll take care of everyone down here."

"Okay... You did great last time, so I'll trust you." He looked at the crystal in her hands, "When do I get that back?"

"When I send you a letter." At Sportacus's surprised expression, she elaborated, "We just want you to take it easy for a few hours if you aren't feeling one hundred percent."

"I'll be alright." Sportacus assured her.

Stephanie shook her head, "Just because you're fine now doesn't mean you're not sick." She crossed her arms slowly, looking up at him with a faint smile, "You could be fatigued from everything yesterday, so just to be safe you should relax for a while."

Sportacus laughed and yelled for his ladder, which dropped at his command. He turned to Stephanie, "Alright, alright." He pat the top of her pink head, "But if you need me back earlier than expected, do not hesitate!"

"I won't." She promised and shook his hand, "Goodbye Sportacus!"

Sportacus chuckled and climbed his ladder, wondering how the kids knew he wasn't on his A-game. Sure, earlier he felt off, but... He was okay now. Once he was safely tucked away inside the airship, he jumped right into getting things organized. Of course, he didn't do this like a normal human would. This was Sportacus we were talking about. Everything, from jump rope to soccer balls, got a little use out of before he stored them away. Keeping himself active kept him from thinking about what was really troubling him, which hardly anything troubled him now. Robbie was civil with him. Not on good terms, but it's a step. A baby step. Taking things slow would be best, but Sportacus never knew the meaning of the word slow. Everything he did was fast and without a second thought.

But now he had to pace himself in order to gain Robbie's companionship.

This may prove to be the hardest thing he's ever had to do, probably even more difficult than standing still.

Yet, even at the thought of his name, Sportacus grew ruby red yet again. He frantically felt his face. What was going on with him? He didn't like it. His stomach felt as if winged insects had made a nest there. Whatever was going on, he wasn't about to let himself stress over it. He had to relax. To assuage his fear, he took his temperature yet again. He had the average temperature for an elf, so he wasn't running a fever. He checked his reflexes, but he was just as responsive as usual. He did an x-ray, but everything was fine there as well. Nothing was abnormal. It had to be all in his head. He was just imagining things. He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, "Well, I suppose I'm just overreacting..." He told himself and skipped over to the pilots seat. He sat down and stared at the clouds, "I hope everything is fine down below..." Sportacus sighed and closed his eyes.

Robbie's POV:

Robbie crawled out of his lair and snuck along the walls of LazyTown. He looked down at the small folded-up cage device. He chose a typical location in LazyTown where Sportacus was known for running past. He man-handled a tree, shimmying up its trunk and swinging a leg over the lowest limb. He unfolded the mini cage and tied the end of the rope to it, tossing it down below. It sprung up full-size as it impacted the grass below. Robbie used whatever energy he had to hoist the cage up off the ground. He panted for breath, cursing how lazy he was sometimes. It took a good few moments but soon the cage was in position. Robbie tied it down and rubbed his hands together in a stereotypical villainous manner, "Heh, Sportaloser won't know what hit him." He squinted and searched for something to lure him in. He huffed, "No, I'm not going to trick him with a real apple." He said as he spotted one on the LazyTown apple tree. He snorted in disgust and created a sugar apple instead. In moments the machine spat out a beautiful ripe and red false fruit, "Ah, perfect." He kissed the shiny exterior of the candy apple, "Lets see Sportaflop try to recover after sinking his stupid perfect teeth into you, my precious little poisonous friend." He snuck over and bent down to sit it beneath the cage, "Here you go. Now you be a good little fruit and look all nice and tempting for Sportacow to fall for my clever trap." He snuck out from under the cage and leaned against the base of the tree, "Ah, Robbie... You're a genius." He complimented himself and looked up at the cage swinging gently above him, "There's no way this can fail." He clapped excitedly like a child and laid a blanket down behind a bush. He settled down to take a nap while he waited for the unsuspicious hero to activate his trap.

Sportacus's POV:

The very instant Sportacus heard a letter shoot into his airship, he felt a wave of relief wash over him. He sprang over and grabbed the capsule, seizing hold of the parchment and reading what the kids had wrote.

Dear Sportacus,

Everything has been fine down here, but we want you to come check this super cool thing out. We've never seen anything quite like it before and we wanted you to come see it for yourself.

Love,  
The Kids.

Ps: This letter is MINE! - Stingy

Sportacus let out a chuckle at the bottom of the letter. He tossed it over his shoulder and ran towards the exit, "Door!" He shouted and it opened on command. He jumped off the platform and did a front flip, "Skychaser!" He commanded and the bicycle/hang glider love child was soon within his grasp. He seated himself upon it and peddled his way down to LazyTown.

As he touched down, he neatly parked his ride and began to run through town. He ran through town like a cheetah. As he passed one of the oak trees, he noticed an apple under it. He raised an eyebrow and stepped towards it, "That's odd. I wonder why this apple fell so far from the tree." He picked it up and smiled, "I'll go put you in the barrel with the others." He told the fruit. Normally he would dig right in, but he had just eaten and still had that energy to burn off. He kept a hold of it and flipped over wall after wall until he ran into one of the children, "Hey, Trixie!" He looked around, wondering where the others were, "Where are your friends?"

"Sportacus!" Trixie exclaimed, "Come closer, I have something to tell you."

Sportacus obliged and leaned down to her level. Suddenly he was surrounded by darkness, "Huh?"

"Don't freak out, its just a blindfold." She giggled excitedly, "Take my hand, I'll lead you to the others."

Sportacus blindly took her by the hand after struggling for a moment. One hand on the apple, one hand on Trixie's hand, he allowed her to tug him along. He walked several paces before stopping. Trixie let go of him, "Okay, Sportacus, take off the blindfold."

"Okay!" He said enthusiastically and slowly pulled it from his eyes. Without the cloth obstructing his vision, he found the kids had set up the staging area yet again. On the table sat a sports candy cake. Blue balloons covered the ground and several 'Get Well Soon' balloons floated above. Sportacus felt his heart melt at the sight. He grinned at the kids, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. He noticed a pink blur rushing his way.

Stephanie ran forward and hugged him, soon joined by the other kids, "We were so worried about you." She mumbled.

Sportacus let out an brief chuckle, patting her on the head and embracing her back, "You don't have to worry about me, I feel fine!" He announced happily, his eyes gazing down at the apple in his hand.

"Are you sure?" Ziggy asked, looking up at Sportacus with concern.

"Yes. I haven't felt weird since this morning." The elf smiled down at him, "But this party really means a lot, nevertheless." He nodded, the grin never leaving his mustached face, "So, let's get down to celebrating."

"What should we do first?" Stingy asked.

"Well, we can always get ourselves energized." He nodded towards the cake composed of fruit, "And then go play." He sat the apple down beside the cake.

"Whatever you want, you're the whole reason for the party!" Stephanie laughed, "But if you start feeling ill, don't hesitate to sit down and take a break."

"I won't, then!" Sportacus laughed and bounded over to the cake, "Now who wants some sports candy?"

The kids all cheered in response and Sportacus let out a small snort of laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's chapter six, seven will be up in a few days or so :) Thank you for your continued support. As always, if you find any mistakes let me know ^^ Thank you for reading~


	7. A Cry For Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robbie is caged and everyone's favorite elf comes to the rescue.

Robbie's POV:

As he spotted the blue buffoon soaring down to the ground on his Skychaser, Robbie concealed himself behind the tree. Sportacus was falling for his trap! Robbie felt his heart race with excitement as he pulled out a pair of scissors. He reached to cut the rope, his eyes sparkling with anticipation. As soon as Sportacus had the apple in his hand, Robbie let the scissors close upon the rope. However, it did not cut through. He had grabbed his set of dull scissors by mistake. Robbie swore under his breath and began sawing it. Just before the cage fell, Sportaflop took off yet again. Robbie stopped his work on the rope immediately. He dropped the scissors and ran after him, yelling angrily, "Get back here you-" 

Robbie had failed to notice where he was standing. Soon, he was caught in his own trap. Bars fell right in front of him, the bottom rim of the cage landing on his toes. He pulled his right foot out from under it and held onto it, hopping around and muttering as it throbbed in pain. He fell backwards onto his rump, hitting the back of his head off one side of the cage. He frantically took his shoes and socks off to assess the damage. He glared in the direction of where Sportacus had ran, "Dammit..." 

He suddenly wiggled his eyebrows as he got an idea.

"I don't have anything to worry about." He announced to himself. He slowly got to his feet, wincing slightly as he hobbled towards the door. He smirked, "I have the key." He chuckled, "I can just unlock it and I'll be free from humiliation." He reached into his pockets. He fiddled around inside of it, finding nothing, "Hah, wrong pocket." He reached inside the opposite one, but found the same result. He furrowed his brow, his nose twitching from frustration, "Where did it go-"

His eyes locked upon a shiny golden key laying just outside his reach behind the tree. 

Robbie looked up at the sky and shouted, "What are the odds!?" He complained, getting back to his feet. He narrowed his eyes, wrapping his hands around the bottom of the cage. He tried and gave a valiant effort in lifting the damn contraption a centimeter off the ground. He let out a grown and sat back down. He crossed his arms, "He could've at least left me the stupid fake apple to eat." With no where to go and no way to escape, he sat there and decided to stay quiet. How could it get any worse than this?

Robbie suddenly heard the sounds of children singing.

"Yep." Robbie began, "At first I didn't think it was possible, but this... this is definitely worse." He stuck his fingers in his ears, trying to block out the irritating sounds of happy kids. He looked towards where they were as they all danced in a circle while Sportacus busted some serious moves.

Great, now he had to hear and see how much fun those wretched morons were getting up to?

Robbie laid his head back against the bars. Is this what it was like to be in prison? No, this had to be worse. At least in jail he wouldn't have to see that stupid elf and his stupid friends.

He couldn't believe he used to be that doofus's best friend. He couldn't believe he agreed to being civil with him.

Yet, as much as he couldn't stand it... A rather odd sense of warmth rushed over him.

Robbie rubbed his forehead. His brain was aching and begging him to stop putting thoughts inside it, but he couldn't help it. He was lonely again. As much as he knew he needed help getting out of this one... He told himself he would not call for Sportaloser to come rescue him. He'd find a way. He was a genius after all. He stood up and looked around for anything that could help him out of his trap.

His moment of confidence was struck down again as he found nothing that could aid him in his escape.

It was no use. He needed a miracle if he wanted to get out of this one.

But that miracle would not come in the form of a blue kangaroo. Robbie would keep silent for days to ensure that.

Sportacus's POV:

After eating and singing upbeat songs with the children, Sportacus sat down for a moment. His head was reeling. He's never been so worshipped in his life. These kids aspired to be just like him. He grinned at them all, "Thanks so much for the party. I'm feeling a lot better already!" He chuckled and looked at the time, "But I should probably get going. I need to finish some things up before I go to bed."

The kids seemed upset but understanding as ever. Stephanie came forward and smiled at him, holding out her hand, "Forgetting something?"

"Oh, yeah, that's right." Sportacus smiled and held out his palm. He felt relieved as his crystal was returned to his possession. He clicked it into place upon his chest, "Thank you."

"No, thank you for taking some time to wind down." The eight year old giggled.

"Then I'll be off." Sportacus announced his departure and jerked his arms about again. He cartwheeled away, "Catch you later!"

"Bye Sportacus!" They all yelled in unison.

Robbie's POV:

Robbie didn't even realize he had nodded off counting sheep. When he awoke, he found the kids and Sportaloon had seemingly vanished along with all the decorations for that cursed party they threw for him. He crossed his arms, noticing it was getting a bit chilly. He shivered slightly and rubbed them. He felt hopeless as the last bit of the sun's rays had been consumed by the horizon. He hated the dark despite living in it each and every day down underneath the billboard. He was now at the mercy of nature. He heard owls hooting in the trees of the park. While he wished he could go back to sleep, his own anticipation of what lurks when the sun goes down had him fright-stricken. He could hear and feel his own heard thumping rapidly in his chest. He needed to get home. He needed...

Help.

Robbie hadn't noticed he even let out a cry until it had left his lips. He covered his mouth, wishing he could take it back. Surely it was after 8:08. Sportaflop was in bed. He wouldn't come running to help someone at a time like this. Maybe he would be in his deepest stage of sleep and unable to answer his call?

Robbie's wishes were not granted. He watched as the airship came into sight above the town. Rather than being afraid of the lack of light, he was now anxious of what Sportacus would say. Would he laugh at him for getting caught in his own trap? He assumed he would. It was typical of him to let out so much of a giggle whenever Robbie's plans were thwarted. He wished he could turn invisible as he saw a blue figure flipping and jumping towards him. Robbie turned his back and faced the opposite direction. He wouldn't dare look him in the eye. Yet, as he turned away he noticed a pair of glowing yellow eyes watching him from the bushes. He let out a whimper and cowered with his head turned away. He sucked his thumb out of a nervous habit.

"Robbie?" Came Sportacus's always tender, mild voice.

He knew he told himself not to look, but he did. He threw a fraction of a glance over his shoulder after popping the digit out of his mouth. He let his arms fall to a crossed position, "Oh. It's you." Robbie hissed, pretending to be thrilled that Sportaloon was here. Of course he wasn't... but at the same time he was his only chance to escape the scary outdoors.

"Of course it's me." Sportacus laughed slightly and Robbie felt sick to his stomach. He continued, "Who else would come down here in the middle of the night to rescue someone."

Just as he thought. Mockery...

"Don't make fun of me, elf!" Robbie spat in defense of himself, "I was so close to catching you..."

"But instead you caught yourself." Sportacus shook his head, but did not laugh. He stepped closer and got down on one knee, "How long have you been in this cage, Robbie?"

Robbie pouted in response, "Far too long..." He slowly stood up, wedging himself between two bars, "What does it matter that I've spent all day in this damn thing?!" 

Sportacus scowled at him in response, "You know, Robbie, you could've called for me sooner." He shook his head, "And watch your language... We don't need the kids running around using those foul words."

"And let that pink hurricane and her heathens laugh at me too?!" Robbie snapped defensively, "I don't give a damn about my mouth. I'm tired and missing out on my beauty sleep!" His hostile tone suddenly softened and he let out a sigh, "I just want to go home and sleep..."

"I'm tired as well, but I'm still willing to help you..." Sportacus smiled and went to bend down in order to lift the cage.

"Just give me the stupid key and get out of here!" Robbie suddenly blurted out. At Sportacus's alarmed face, he finished with a plea, "This is already embarrassing enough..."

Sportacus sighed and stepped away from him. He made his way over to the base of the tree where the golden key laid. He picked it up, "Here you go." He offered it out to him.

Robbie snatched it away from him with a sneer. He wiped it off on his vest before sticking his hands through the bars of the door. Once the key was in the hole, he gave it a turn and heard the lock click. He sighed with relief and took it off the door. He gave the lock a toss and went to open the door, however Sportacus was already opening it for him. Robbie's eyes widened at the elf as he hesitantly stepped on out, "Hmph."

"You're welcome." Sportacus said and shut the door behind him, probably to ensure no one else would get stuck in it. "You know, Robbie, everyone needs a little help sometime in their life." He began, "Some need help more than others, some need it more often than others."

"Yeah, yeah, I don't care." Robbie growled and crossed his arms. He narrowed his eyes at the athletic elf. Why couldn't he just leave without trying to give him a life lesson?

"Well, obviously you cared enough to call for me." Sportacus gave him a bright sunny smile that stuck out in the night like lightning across a darkened sky.

Robbie scrunched up his nose in disgust and annoyance, "Don't make it sound like I called for you and only you." He felt his eye twitch as he pointed a finger, "I yelled for help. Anyone could've came to my rescue."

"Oh please... Everyone was asleep. You should've known I'd be the one to come help you."

"I did know," Robbie began, "-and now that I'm free you should just flippity flop out of my sight, Sportaflop." He made a shooing motion with his hands.

Sportacus half-frowned, but nodded slowly, "Hmm, okay." He went to turn around, "Are you positive you don't want help taking this back to your lair?"

"Absolutely positive." Robbie scowled and tapped on the cage in order to make it revert to being pocket-sized. He folded it up with care, trying to ignore the look Sportaloon was giving him. He could feel his eyes burning into the back of his head, but didn't dare turn to look at him.

"Goodnight, Robbie." Sportacus said in a soft tone yet again.

"Yeah yeah, goodnight, Sportacow." Robbie sighed and stuck the trap into his pocket, doing his best to look past the pink flush across the hero's cheeks as he gave in and looked over his shoulder. What was this idiot's problem? Was he feeling under the weather again?

Before he could assess for sure what was going on, Sportacus had flung himself out of sight.

Who gave him the right to be so generous as to miss out on sleep to save his enemy? He was so compassionate and caring it caused Robbie's sweet tooth to ache, his head to throb, and his stomach to get tied in knots. Whatever compelled him to be such a helpful person... Robbie knew it would be the death of him. If he didn't die from profusely vomiting at every thought of the blue moron, he'd surely die by letting himself get sentimental again. Robbie wouldn't be caught dead sobbing in his arms again. He skulked about as he began to make the journey back to his lair, carrying all the remnants of his failed booby trap home. Too many questions danced around inside his skull for him to focus on anything else. That is, until he opened the hatch and a bat shot out of it, nearly causing him to wet himself. As Robbie calmed himself down, only one thing stuck out in his mind.

Though the sounds of the night spooked him, nothing frightened him more than the thought of him feeling respect and concern towards Sportacus.

Sportacus's POV:

After rescuing Robbie Rotten from his own trap, Sportacus felt... odd again. He didn't necessarily feel hot, but his stomach felt as if bugs were crawling about inside it. He shook his head in a rather disappointed manner. This has been going on since this morning and he still can't figure out what the problem is. Maybe he should've asked Robbie if he used some elf-repelling air freshener down below. He never really noticed it until then. It had to be Robbie's doing. Didn't it? I mean, it makes the most sense. Robbie did want him to leave town forever, but was that still true? He was the one that admitted he would be civil to Sportacus. In all honestly, the elf didn't think going to visit him would've changed anything. Robbie was as stubborn as a mule. 

It'd take a miracle to get him to warm up to Sportacus completely. 

Yet, Sportacus was determined to keep trying. Other than the Mayor and Busybody, Sportacus had no one around his age. Whenever the adults would spend time together, he found himself becoming either the center of attention or the biggest third wheel. The pair of them confused him. It was obvious they want to be be together, however they were both too chicken to say anything. It wouldn't bother him as much if they actually were together, but...

Sportacus didn't understand the concept of love. He was used to being flirted with when he was younger, but nothing made him want to act on it. He would just smile and walk away from those girls. He just wasn't interested. It'd just take more time away from his sports and it could cause problems if he were in a relationship anyways.

Still, Sportacus couldn't deny the fact he was lonesome. Seeing the kids happy together and the mayor and Busybody happy together... He knew he fit in with everyone down in LazyTown, but... there was one person that was just as lonely as he was.

Robbie Rotten.

It didn't take a fool to see the loneliness behind his deep grey eyes. It tugged at Sportacus's heartstrings every time he noticed it. Robbie was his friend. Things never changed for Sportacus. He still wanted to cheer him up, even if he hated his guts.

Sportacus blinked his eyes, realizing he was only prolonging missing out on much needed rest. How did he get from being concerned about himself to thinking about love and how lonely he is? At least his thoughts returned to the cause for all this thinking. He became aware of how light headed he felt, though the ideas inside his head were heavy.

He rubbed his forehead, "If Robbie's done something to me..." He stifled a yawn, "He won't get away with it." He settled himself down to bed for the second time, "I'll... figure it out... soon enough..." He mumbled in a drowsy tone as his eyes closed. He nodded off immediately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so heads up. 
> 
> I'm going to take a break from this fic until I get myself some things planned out for the following chapters.
> 
> In the meantime, I'll be writing another SportaRobbie fic that will probably be a one shot or maybe a two shot? Three shot? Idk
> 
> Hope you guys stick around for further developments, I just need to get my brain cranking out some good ideas before I settle on one. I hope you understand ^^' 
> 
> Also this is subject to change. This fic may get updated before my other one will be published :) Thank you so much for reading and sticking around. I hope you've all enjoyed up to here so far. I'm always open to criticism and suggestions too. Don't be shy, I don't bite (much) ^^ Until next time, my valued readers <3


	8. A Bouquet?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sportacus's latest antics sends Robbie into a state of confusion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhh I told you I wouldn't abandon this! I am back and here's chapter 8. Hope you enjoy!!

Chapter 8:

Robbie's POV:

Robbie woke up the next morning to discover he had slipped out of his chair. He peeled himself off the floor with a grunt, shaking his head, "Urgh..." His neck was killing him from sleeping in the cage the previous night. He rolled them around a couple times after getting to his feet, but it didn't alleviate the pain at all. He let out a loud sigh and looked around the lair. He grabbed his pillow off the chair and hugged it close, "Don't leave me laying on the floor again." He mumbled and ran a hand across it, stroking it lovingly, "Oh, pillow... You're the only one that understands me."

Not only did it understand him, but it was the only thing that didn't annoy him to death. He liked sitting in the sound of silence. It was peaceful. He didn't have to worry about anything in the world. All he had to do was sit back and relax.

And he decided to do just that.

Plopping down in his chair, he settled into the back of it. He grabbed his ear muffs and put them on.

Of course, the charming sound of silence didn't last long. This was LazyTown after all; the town with the most annoying kids and an even more irritating elf.

"What the hell are those brats up to?!" Robbie snarled and rose from his chair. He trudged over to his periscope, angering seizing ahold of it. As he peered into it, he found the kids walking through the streets clanging pots and pans together. What were they doing? Some sort of ritual? Robbie could care less. He shoved his viewing device away from him, "Hmph. I'll give them something to clang pots and pans about, those crazy... pot and pan clangers." He prepared to walk through his tubes of disguises until the banging had subsided. 

He whipped around on his heels, "What?!" Robbie grumbled and took a second look. He found Sportacus holding a bouquet of roses and cringed at the sight. However, he couldn't deny he felt a pang of... something in his chest. He wiggled his nose as he listened in.

Sportacus's POV:

After waking up at the crack of dawn, Sportacus decided he'd give the kids a new idea. It took him a while to set up a plan, but... whatever he was going to do, it was going to be great. 

He was going to set the Mayor and Busybody up on a date.

There's nothing wrong in playing Cupid, right? Sportacus didn't think so. He didn't know a whole lot about love but... He was willing to express it by helping two friends in need.

But how?

For an older man, he didn't really know the definition of love off the top of his head. He knew how to express it, but anything past that, well, he was very clueless. He made the decision to find someone that can help him.

Stephanie and the kids immediately came to mind.

Stephanie knew the Mayor better than anyone else. After all, they were family. Maybe she'd know a thing or two about love as well.

After breakfast, Sportacus rode his Skychaser down to the park, where he collected roses from the bush. He wrapped them up bouquet-style and let out a small laugh. He looked towards town, his eyes shimmering with excitement. He was so eager to help his two best friends out.

"I wonder if anyone is awake yet." Sportacus asked himself. He smiled, "Only one way to find out."

After somersaulting through the streets, Sportacus found himself at the front door of Stephanie's. Judging by the time, the Mayor would be jogging to his office. It made Sportacus proud to know the Mayor was taking part in exercising. As he knocked on the door, he was surprised to find it opening. He hid the flowers behind his back, unsure who it was. He had to be safe, anyways.

"Oh hey Sportacus!" Stephanie's cheerful voice rang as she peeked out through the crack. She grinned and opened it wider, "What are you doing down here?"

"Well..." Sportacus began, "I'm here to save something." He explained with a curt smile.

Stephanie raised an eyebrow, "Did the kitten get stuck in a tree again or?" She put her hands on her hips.

Sportacus shook his head. He pulled out the bouquet, "No, I'm here to help someone's relationship, or... um... soon to be relationship?"

"Sportacus, are you going to give those to Robbie?" Stephanie asked with a cheeky grin. There was excitement in her eyes.

Sportacus was caught off guard. He began stammering, "N-No, I was actually... talking about the Mayor and Bessie." He chuckled in an awkward manner. He felt all the color rush to his face again. The butterflies in his stomach rustled their wings fiercely. He felt under the weather again... Which reminded him to have a discussion with Robbie later. He had to figure out what he had done to him, if anything. Surely he had to have done something if Sportacus had never felt like this before... The thought of visiting the villain only made him feel warmer. He pressed the back of his hand to his cheek. What was going on? Was he dying?

"Oh! Well..." Stephanie giggled happily, "I'm sure they'd be thrilled." She looked up at him, her face suddenly washed with concern, "You don't look so well..." Stephanie felt one of his cheeks, "Are you sure about this? You're burning up."

"It's nothing. I've completely checked myself out. Nothing is wrong with me, it seems." Sportacus assured her with a wink, "I'll figure it out on my own."

"Oh okay, if you insist..." She leaned in close, "So what's the plan?"

"I don't really have one..." Sportacus admitted. He doesn't have any experience in this field... He hoped Stephanie could assist him.

She returned a confident smile his way, "Follow me, let's get the others involved in this." She grabbed him by the hand and tugged him along.

It wasn't long before they took notice of the disruption coming from the sports field. Sportacus and Stephanie flipped over the wall in sync with each other and landed.

"Sportacus! Stephanie!" Ziggy squealed. He was tied up with rope and sitting on the ground. Stingy was up top, a crown placed upon his head. Trixie was the one making all the noise.

"What's going on here?" Sportacus asked, looking around.

"Well, I'm the prince." Stingy declared with an egotistical air about him, "Ziggy is my prisoner, and Trixie-"

"I'm the ritual performer." Trixie butted in with a roll of her eyes at Stingy, "Ziggy is being sacrificed to the candy gods for committing treason."

Sportacus let out a laugh, "Well, as long as no one is harmed, I suppose that's good. You have a very unbridled imagination sometimes." He held out the roses, "Would you guys like to help me and Stephanie set someone up on a date?"

"Ooo~" Trixie dropped the pans and ran towards Sportacus, "Who's the flowers for?"

Sportacus chuckled. He patted her on the head, "I'll tell you if you can keep it a secret."

Everyone looked at each other and nodded. Sportacus leaned in right into their ears to ensure he wouldn't be overheard.

"Well we can come up with our plan at Pixel's. I'm sure he'd like to be involved as well." Stephanie winked. "We don't want to be eavesdropped on. Besides, this is a big secret and we can't have anyone besides us know or the whole thing will be ruined."

"I'm game." Ziggy said and struggled against the rope, "Um... as long as someone can untie me first."

Everyone let out a small chuckle.

Stingy gazed longingly at the bouquet as he hopped down, "I want it!"

Trixie snorted, "What don't you want?" She crossed her arms and went to go help Ziggy.

Sportacus held them up high, "Ah, ah, ah..." He shook his head and clicked his tongue, "We need these to be in tip-top shape."

Stingy let out a growl and huffed, "Fine."

"Well, let's get going." Stephanie smiled as Ziggy and Trixie came to her side, "C'mon."

Robbie's POV:

What? Sportaloon was going to give someone flowers?

Robbie felt his cold, rotten heart sink like an anchor. He couldn't stand the thought... Who was he giving it to? Busybody? Someone in a different town? He balled his hands up into fists, "How dare you!" He spat with malice, shoving the periscope away from him, "Dammit!" He snarled and clutched his chest. This whole respecting and being concerned towards Sportaloon wasn't going good at all. He felt... envious. 

Jealousy came naturally to Robbie. It was just a part of his character. He wanted to be praised and looked up on rather than shamed and looked down on. He couldn't help the soft side of his personality that just wanted some attention. His loneliness was to blame.

If only he weren't so lonesome...

Robbie shook his head. It was a ridiculous idea. He couldn't just get suckered into being nice to everyone after being the villain for so long.

He wouldn't allow it.

Whatever Sportafrick was up to, Robbie would be damned to let it bother him. He didn't care. He shouldn't care.

But he did.

Why?

Robbie rubbed his forehead. Everything was so conflicting. He wished he could return to their youth. Maybe then things would've been simpler. Now, as adults... The tensions were high. At least for Robbie, they were. He didn't know what to do anymore.

He looked at the locket laying on the floor where he had abandoned it the previous night. He shuffled his feet over to it, bending down and picking it up. He opened it slowly, as if he were afraid of what was inside of it. He peeked with one eye before opening the other. The sight was comforting. He suddenly pressed the necklace to his chest and closed his eyes. He chuckled slightly, feeling immediate comfort. As much as he hated to admit it, he was just a lonely soul that wanted attention every once in a while. Down here in his lair, no one bothered to call him. The most interaction he got out of them was when he was in disguise. He was too insecure to show his face whenever it wasn't hidden behind a mustache, mask, or glasses. Robbie was the bad guy. He just assumed no one liked him, so why bother? After all, since Stephanie arrived here the kids have been his enemies along with Sportaflop-

He immediately recoiled away from the locket and gave it a toss to the ground. He then proceeded to step on it, to which he stopped himself. Why was he so passive aggressive lately? This was a gift, not a cursed object. He slowly picked it back up, wiped it on his vest, and stuck it in his pocket. With a heavy sigh and an heavy heart, he walked to his refrigerator and found nothing in it. Great, now he had to go into town and find something to eat... He rolled his eyes and glanced over at his disguises. Maybe he should go incognito in case he feels shifty and up to no good.

Of course, going by what was happening above, he didn't really feel up to it. If Sportaflop wanted to be all lovey-dovey with someone, then so be it. He always chose girls over Robbie anyways, so what makes this any different? He should know to deal with it. Besides, they weren't exactly on good terms with each other, so of course he'd pick someone else over him.

Why did it bother him so much? He may have had a small bit of puppy love going on when he was younger, but... That was no reason to get upset now. He'd grown out of his phase of adoring Sportacus. He didn't have to worry about love anymore.

Yet, the idea of ruining Sportacus's first date was deliciously tempting.

And he knew just how to do it.

"I'll disguise myself as a love expert... They all will come to me seeking relationship advice, to which I'll have them do just the opposite of what any sort of romance expert would tell them to do." He could feel his mouth water at the thought of getting revenge, "Using my phony advice, Sportaflop will ruin his date, get embarrassed, and will be forced to leave town FOREVER!" He cackled reminiscent of a deranged hyena, "IT'S DISGUISE TIME!"

Walking past his assembled disguises, he looked at the first one; a zombified version of himself, "Too putrid!" The next one was not any better; a giant water bottle, "Too fluid!" He exclaimed as he continued onto the third Disguise in the line up; his big bad wolf costume, "Ugh, too stupid!" He declared, remembering both failed attempts with this disguise. Finally he came to the fourth and final costume. His eyes sparkled as he found himself gazing upon a ashen toga with ebony wings sticking out of the back of it, "Why hello there, Mr. Anti-Cupid..." He snickered to himself. He eagerly hopped over to the lever and gave it a crank. After twirling around much like a spinning top would, he was soon clothed in the dark Cupid disguise. He drew an arrow from the quiver on his back and snickered, "Now... time to cause some mayhem." He chuckled, clamoring up and out of his lair.

The cool morning air- wait, morning? Robbie looked at the light blue sky. His eyes widened as he realized he was actually up before noon. He grumbled and shook his head. Normally he would've just went back to sleep and ignore what goes on up here, but... Today was certainly different. As much as Robbie hated to admit it, he was definitely more eager to wreck the kids' plans now that it involved Sportaflop's love life.

After giving himself a large milkshake from the ice cream wagon, Robbie began to sneak around and spy on the kids. He peered in through the window, eyeing them with interest. However, he realized he had taken just a second too long as all the hooligans headed out the door. 

"Dammit..." 

It was killing him inside. He wanted to know what the hell Sportacartwheel was up to.

Why?

Robbie didn't want to even begin to wonder that question. It made him feel ill and his head ache.

He simply crept away from the window in a defeated manner and stomped off in the direction where everyone had gone.


End file.
